


A Different Kind of Criminal

by iheichou



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Police, Anime, Bookstores, Justice, M/M, Manga, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Organized Crime, Relationship(s), Shiganshina, attack on titan - Freeform, ereri, riren - Freeform, shingeki no kyojin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-09-09 13:55:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 71,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8893246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iheichou/pseuds/iheichou
Summary: Eren works at the cafe in Marco Bodt's family bookstore "Bodt's Books". On an average night after work, Eren accidentally finds himself in the same house with a criminal. He has two options and one of them is death. He won't be able to live his normal life again.What will he do when he is face to face with the dangerous, handsome, and intimidating stranger?





	1. Strange encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends, this is my first time ever publishing something and it's just for fun! Hope you might enjoy it-- just want to share something I think is interesting! I probably have some mistakes, but that's okay I'm human right? lol  
> I have been having so much fun writing this!

Chapter 1  
“Another piece of art has been stolen this month. First, a 100 year old pottery piece was stolen from the Stohess Museum of art two weeks ago. The second piece was a small sculpture entitled ‘Titan’ taken from the Trost Gallery. Early this morning, around 2:00am, a third piece was stolen. This time from the Shiganshina Art Gallery. A large painting has gone missing-“  


Eren’s focus on the news anchor was interrupted by a customer’s impatient greeting. Business had been slow all day so of course the moment he tries to learn about a crime committed in their city, someone decides to show up. He perked up and threw a smile on to be polite, poising his finger in front the buttons on the register to prepare for their order.  


With one of those ‘You weren’t paying attention when I tried to say hello the first time’ looks, the man ordered a muffin and a lemonade. He slid his cash onto the countertop instead of placing it in Eren’s open palm and Eren clenched his teeth to keep from saying something about it. Thankfully, Eren had gotten a lot better at ignoring small inconveniences from customers like this. When he first got on the job… Well… that’s a different story. Eren just put it past him and thanked the man, almost forgetting to give him his receipt. It was just that kind of day.  


He’d only cashed out one other person, wiped down the counter every ten minutes, and reorganized the entire back shelf just to keep himself busy. It was the nature of Monday nights, well weeknights in general. The customer left to wait for his food at the other end of the counter so Eren tried to catch the last bit of the art theft story, but the news had already moved on to something else. With a heavy sigh, he watched the customers mill about the small, cozy bookstore.  


Eren worked at the local bookstore’s café. The place was called “Bodt’s Books”. He lived in one of the apartments right above the store so it helped pay his rent. Also, the entire building happened to be owned by his friend Marco’s family, the Bodt’s. They were nice enough to give him a job and offer him a decent rent rate. He had to move out at an early age, everyone had known. He had gone to a small school. Eren’s mother died from cancer when he and his sister, Mikasa, were young and their father was never heard from after that.  


Now the two of them lived together in the apartment above the bookstore. It was small, but it became home. Mikasa had found a job at the grocery store just down the road. The two of them had been getting by alright. Both in their 20s and not in college, they didn’t really have any other plans at the moment. They managed to buy a decent car--okay it was hardly running--but it was something. Mikasa also got discounts at her grocery store, so food wasn’t too sparse.  


The siblings had been in the apartment as soon as they turned 18. After their parents were gone, their best friend Armin took them in for a while. Armin didn’t live too far from them in an apartment bordering the suburbs because his grandpa didn’t want him to live too close to the city. They all met in grade school when Eren tried beating up someone that was picking on Armin and Mikasa stepped in to finish it. The trio had been friends ever since.  


Eren had a lot of problems with controlling his emotions when he was younger. Especially after losing his parents, he became very rowdy and even inconsolable at times. If he noticed anyone doing anything wrong in his eyes, he was at them in a heartbeat. The case with Armin is a perfect example. Although he wasn’t skilled, he still attempted. Often he wound up injured in some way. It never stopped him, his stubborn attitude wouldn’t let him. Careful talks with Mikasa and Armin helped him work on it over the years. Being threatened to be kicked out of school also helped quite a bit.  


At the beginning of his job he would get really frustrated with customers to the point where he once picked up someone’s cup and chucked it across the café when he saw the man attempt to steal a woman’s purchase from the bookstore. He knew he wanted to keep the job and that really put a damper on his self-righteous agendas. The anger subsided for the most part now. There were other, better, ways to handle those situations now.  


The group of friends never left Shiganshina, their hometown and where the art theft happened most recently. Not much went on around here usually; He was trying to pay attention to the story for that reason. What if they knew who the theft was and had shown a picture? He’d never know now if the criminal walked right into the store. He couldn’t fathom why someone would do that. It isn’t that hard to do the right thing, so why can’t these criminals figure that out?  


“Eren.” He whipped around at the sound of his name to see his dark haired, freckled, friend. He was caught off-guard yet again, off thinking about definitely not his job.  


“Hey Marco.” Marco has been a manager here for a while. It was nice being friends with coworkers, especially the manager. Marco had also gone to grade school with them.  


“I know you still have thirty minutes left, but we are dead right now. You can head out, I can close!” Cheery, as always.  


“Are you sure?” Eren wouldn’t necessarily protest leaving work early, but he didn’t want to jump at the chance if Marco thought he needed the help.  


“Yeah it’s okay! Since Jean is here we don’t need all of us. Jean got to go home early last time, too, so you can go ahead.” Marco smiled.  


This kid named Jean also worked there. Eren would probably go out on a limb and say they were friends even though they often bickered enough to seem like they hated each other. Marco liked to say their ‘personality’s clashed’. Jean was also a stuck up, know it all.  


“Thanks, I’ll see you soon.” Eren took off his apron and hung it on the rung in the back room and took off.

He decided before going home he would grab a pizza from their usual place a few blocks down for him and Mikasa to share. It was 7:30pm now, he knew she would be as hungry as he was when she got off work at 9:00. He actually did prefer to make dinner rather than order in, but pizza was an exception.  


The two got pretty good at cooking from living on their own. Eren in particular had started to love cooking as a way to give back to Armin and his grandpa for letting them stay. It took him plenty of fail dishes before anything tasted like food at all. Armin’s grandpa always told him that failure was the only real way to learn. He took that with him everywhere. Mostly because he tended to fail a lot before he got something right.  


It was a cool, cloudy, Monday night. Eren shrugged on his favorite jacket as he walked out under the yellow-orange street lamp glow. He stuck his hand into his pocket that he’d stitched up a few times and sighed, unfortunately he forgot his headphones in his other jacket pocket. He also frowned when he stuck a finger through a newly re-opened hole. Even though he only had two jackets to choose from, of course he picked the headphone-less one. The only entertainment he had now was looking around the vacant, familiar street.  


There weren’t many people out and about around here at night. A few cars passing by on the narrow street and people already inside shops that were about to close. Most of the living spaces around here were apartments or townhouses, the suburbs were about ten minutes away so most people were already back at home or among the city’s night life.  


Most people at least.  


Eren slowed when he saw someone up ahead with a large object trying to walk through a door. It looked cumbersome and the person looked pretty small from where Eren was. His first instinct, maybe because of his growling stomach, was to keep walking and let the person handle themselves, but of course he didn’t want to see someone fall and crack their head open on the pavement. As a habit, he chewed his lower lip in thought. After a short mental debate, his feet decided for him. He picked up his pace towards the precarious situation. 

“Here let me help you with that.” Eren put on his customer service voice and took the awkwardly large thing out of their hands, unable to even see the person from the size of it. The thing was light, but tall and wide.  


It seemed to be a large picture or something. Thankfully it was covered to protect it from this could-be-tragic move. Eren would be in deep shit if he managed to get a scratch on this thing. This is something he definitely couldn’t fail at the first go. He gripped it with unsteady hands against the leather cover.  


The person behind it spoke up in a smooth, deep voice. “No. I’ve got it.” Eren was surprised by the voice.  


He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it wasn’t the low, monotone sound he just heard. The man reached for the portrait that Eren now held, trying to grab onto the frame. A little put off by the guy’s response, Eren was tempted to shove it right back into his arms and let him keep trying. He took a deep breath and tried to continue.  


“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Eren was not as kind as his original offer this time and tried to hide his immediate frustration with the ungrateful little man.  


Pushing his emotions aside, Eren knew he was able to lift it easier with his height and length of his arms. It just made sense so he kept trying to breathe through any frustration. It was still large and awkward for him, he could barely see what was in front of his feet. He kept checking to make sure nothing was in the way. The slow, careful move up the small set of concrete stairs were the most anxious steps he’d taken. Eren concentrated on not tripping.  


“Seriously, I can handle it, kid.” The man spoke up again, his voice a little more stern.  


He was growing impatient when Eren was just trying to help the dude out. Eren knew he needed help. He was probably just stubborn. Well, Eren could relate to that. He was surprised by being called “kid” though. He couldn’t be that old considering his short stature nor did Eren consider himself to look that young. Although he had a slight case of baby face, he stood pretty tall, about 5’ 7”. That usually countered any questions of his age.  


Eren ignored him and just walked through the door of the townhouse, leaving the stranger to follow behind. It seemed awfully narrow trying to fit the picture through. The door was already cracked open, thankfully, and just needed a small nudge for them to get through. He definitely didn’t have the coordination to use a door knob at the moment nor would he have gotten any help from the angry one following him.  


“Where should I set it?” was all Eren said, not acknowledging his previous comment.  


He just heard a, “Tch” Come from behind him.  


The hallway inside was pretty dark and narrow. Eren struggled with the picture, shifting it in a way that he could walk sideways to fit better in the thin space. He took this brief moment to finally turn and look at the man with the bad attitude. Eren froze in his spot, if he had given directions, Eren didn’t hear them.  


He had pinned Eren in his place with a glare of his iron grey eyes. In the dim light, Eren could see his pale skin contrasted with his black hair falling a bit into his eyes and his entirely black suit. His short stature did not take away from his intimidating aura. There was so much fierceness in just his eyes. The ones Eren couldn’t look away from even though the look he was receiving practically ordered him to. Eren could have sworn he noticed something shine in the man’s eyes at that moment, despite the glare, an otherwise blank expression on his face.  
Eren hadn’t looked away since he turned around.

“Hey, brat, are you listening to me?” He spoke louder, probably because he had said something and Eren wasn’t paying attention. Shocker. Eren nodded, a sarcastic comment not even coming to mind.  


“About time. Just set it down and get out of here.” The man leaned into a hip slightly and folded his arms. The look on his face meant ‘no questions’. His mouth turned in a slight frown. He stood defensively in the middle of the doorway.  


He clearly was not in the mood for conversation. Yet Eren kept running his mouth.  


“If I set it down here you’d still have to move it to the room you want it in.” Eren pushed, walking a few steps further which carried him to the living room. “Just let me-“  


“Don’t question me.” Interrupting Eren, he sounded a lot angrier than before and his voice deeper. He just stood still, facing him. It was unnerving. He should have shut his mouth. Normal people listen when a stranger is acting like he’s going to kick your ass.  


Eren felt a little worry rise up in him at his tone. It wasn’t a normal ‘thanks for helping, now you can leave’. There was something else going on. After blinking at the man for too long, even though clearly he should get the hell out of there, Eren turned and moved the portrait in his arms to see where he was going and his blood chilled at the sight. He nearly dropped what he was carrying.  


Set on top of the coffee table, was a very old looking piece of pottery and a professionally created statue with ‘Titan’ engraved along the bottom lay right in front of his eyes. Both items matching the pictures he’d seen on the news earlier.  


He looked at the picture in his arms, and connected it then.  


He was currently holding the stolen million dollar painting that belonged to the Shiganshina Art Gallery. Immediately, he put it on the ground with a little less care than he probably should have.  
There was a click of a lock.  


A sudden wave of fear hit him. Eren dashed to the hallway and looked at the front door, the man’s hand was just leaving the doorknob and he looked at Eren from under the hair that draped over his forehead. A deadly look flashed in the eyes of who he was trying to help a minute earlier. He was so struck by the sight of the stolen art, Eren never noticed the man move for the door.  


“You should have gotten out of here when you had the chance.” His velvet, threatening voice sent chills down Eren’s spine.  
Eren found he couldn’t look away yet again as the stranger stalked towards him.


	2. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> who is the stranger? I bet you've probably guessed, but Eren doesn't know quite yet--keep reading (:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a couple chapters typed out so I'm reviewing them and posting them asap! This is another one I wanted to get up soon to keep the story going. I'm excited about it I hope its at least kind of entertaining haha (':  
> Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2  
[Eren found he couldn’t look away yet again as the stranger moved towards him.]

“U-Uh… I didn’t mean… I…” Eren stammered, trying desperately to make it out of this situation alive and, fingers crossed, unharmed.

As the stranger walked forwards, Eren backed up winding up in the living room again, nearly tripping over everything as he tried to keep his eye on the unpredictable man in front of him. His foot caught the edge of the coffee table and he stumbled back, thrown even more off-guard. The room wasn’t big enough, no amount of backing up made him feel any safer. Eren looked down as his calves hit the light colored couch then he snapped his gaze back up in fear. It probably wasn’t wise to take his eyes off of a man like him. 

He was in the same room as the criminal who stole the artwork from three of the most famous museums in this part of the country. All within a month. No one had done so much before without getting caught. Who knows what else he’s done. Eren wished he would have played dumb instead of allowing himself to recognize the pieces. 

“You have two options now, brat.” The stranger spoke again. Every word left Eren’s heart racing and unsure of how to respond. 

Eren was sure he meant ‘either you die or I’ll beat you so intensely you won’t remember this ever happening.’ He was staring at the thief, barely remembering to blink from nerves. The man stood in the doorway still keeping the large gap between the two. 

“Either I kill you…” He let his words die off before picking back up. “…Or you join me. To be clear, I’d rather not get your blood all over this nice white carpet.” The words slipped off his tongue so easily, so smoothly. 

Eren almost didn’t catch exactly what he was saying, he realized he’d focused more on the sound of his voice than what he was saying. Chewing the inside of his lower lip, Eren replayed his words over again in his head. The criminal was threatening him. He was taking too long to respond and the man eyed him curiously, an eyebrow raising, standing casually. 

The first part was to be expected then Eren almost thought he misunderstood him. Join him? Here he was, ready to fight for his last breath and he was being offered a partnership. He couldn’t even be sure he really meant it or not. 

His voice was a combination of menacing and calm. He was intimidating, but he didn’t seem as angry or forceful as he was before in trying to get Eren out of the picture. He seemed like an entirely different person. His words still made Eren’s heart pound. If he didn’t play his cards right, it looked like he’d never leave this house. Eren swallowed hard. 

“You’re going to have to pick one. You don’t want me to choose for you.” He pushed his suit jacket back to put his hands into his pockets and took a step closer. His demeanor completely changed from earlier. He was confident and suave about showing this side of himself to Eren. 

Eren knew he had to choose. Usually, the answer was clear to him. Although death was on the plate, he still found it difficult to form words. The words that might be the ones to save his life. The one time to run his mouth would be now. 

His brain and conscience didn’t want to join in with a criminal, who knows what he was capable of. Obviously he did not want to die either, that was a no-brainer. This is one of the only times he would beg to be back at work. 

“I’m waiting…” The man let the words drip out of his mouth as he slowly closed the final spaces between him and the younger man. Everything he did was slow and steady. Each step he took had purpose. 

Being so close to a criminal made Eren’s heart pound. His stature was strangely fitting for how acted. He could play both cards. A cranky short man or this intimidating, intention grabbing criminal. Eren found himself holding his breath as the thief eyed him like a predator hunting prey. The man tilted his head slightly, reading Eren’s expression. He knew very well how to unnerve someone. 

Eren opened his mouth to speak when they both saw the unmistakable bright flash of headlights in the front windows. Someone was home. 

“Shit.” The dark-haired man looked around and was suddenly poised to move. 

He grabbed Eren’s arm and dragged him along, surprisingly. Eren let out a noise when they suddenly started their sprint out of the room. He seemed to know this house by heart, but the fact that someone entering made him nervous let Eren believe this was not his home. The thought hadn’t occurred to Eren until now. This was indeed not his home. 

Eren wasn’t too sure why this guy brought him along, it would have been an easy way to get out of it--framing someone else. But he was quick to action. Clearly this was not his first adventure in breaking and entering. Eren did not enjoy that thought. “Keep quiet.” Was the next instruction Eren was given as they heard a key jimmying in the front door. They turned a corner and paused. Eren thought they would get caught for sure. This would never work. He’d be wrapped up in all this. They’d never believe he was just an innocent bystander. 

That’s when he was suddenly shoved into a tiny, dark, space. A closet. Eren was in a closet. He thought that his heart might beat out of his chest in this extreme game of hide and seek. The person was certainly in their house by now. No doubt that they noticed the little presents inside. 

“Don’t. Move.” His deep voice was abrupt in the silent darkness of the closet. Eren sucked in a breath and held it for longer than he anticipated when he realized he was cramped in this space with the stranger. For whatever reason he thought he would be in here alone. 

A hand covered Eren’s mouth tight, another grasping the back of his head to keep it still. Eren almost struggled at the sudden invasion then remembered it would be pointless. It was better if they did not get caught. It was also better if he didn’t get stabbed. Among all the thoughts in his head, Eren could not get his mind off of the hands on him. The man shifted slightly and then Eren’s head was being pulled lower, where he felt lips brush his ear. 

“I have to make sure you’ll keep quiet for me…” The criminal whispered in Eren’s ear causing a shiver to run down his spine. 

Pursing his lips in annoyance at himself for being so easily swayed, Eren also couldn’t believe the man’s petite body so close to his. The criminal. Not just any man, a criminal. Eren stared intently at the light coming in from the bottom of the closet door to keep his head on straight. 

There was not enough light to see anything. Eren had no idea how big the closet was. If the guy had to open the door they’d be caught for sure. It would be better if they moved behind some of the clothes, Eren thought. He moved a hand around in the space, trying to assess what was around him. 

Eren’s hand bumped something and there was a sudden pain all around his wrist. It was definitely a hand wrapped around his arm. Eren realized in shock he must have bumped into his captor and his wrist was now in a vice grip that felt bone crushing. He chewed on his lower lip to stop him from making any noise or making some sort of angry comment. He could almost feel the glare he was getting. The man threw his wrist down, placing the hand back on Eren’s head only this time gripping hard onto his hair. Eren clenched his teeth at the pain, but did not move another muscle. He was clearly stronger than the taller boy had anticipated. 

If he didn’t stop being an idiot, he was going to get himself killed for sure from just annoying this guy. 

They listened intently to the person bustling around in their home. Another door shut. There was no door to the living room. Eren felt an odd sense of hope rising in his chest that whoever was in the house never went into the living room to see the stolen objects. Surely the first thing you’d do upon finding stolen objects would be calling the police, who would then search the house. They would find two very suspicious men hiding who were clearly not supposed to be there. 

Another silence followed. Eren only heard the sound of his own breathing no matter how much he tried to quiet it. He hoped it was only audible to his own ears even though he was breathing into the man’s uncharacteristically soft and clean hand. The space felt even smaller than when he was first thrown into it. He was cushioned between some coats and standing precariously on a few pairs of shoes. It took a lot of muscle control to keep him still in this awkward position. 

That’s when they heard a faint whooshing noise. Levi pulled his hands away from Eren and leaned his ear against the door. They listened another moment. It was hard to decipher what kind of noise they were hearing. Eren knew it was a familiar sound, but the closet door and distance muffled it. It sort of clicked then as he leaned towards the crack between the door and wall. 

“Is that…. A shower?” Eren asked, hopeful. A few heartbeats later to make sure, Eren almost jumped for the doorknob, but the stranger beat him to it. Quickly, but quietly, he opened the door and peered out into the dark house. Not a second later he crept out, motioning for Eren to follow. 

They stepped out, Eren shutting the door behind them. The house was silent apart from the shower hum. It was dim all over, even easier for the two to make their escape. Eren followed the man’s lead back into the living room—slow and steady. If it was even possible, his heart hammered harder than before. He had never been so nervous in his life. Eren looked at the thief, awaiting direction. He was looking around and waiting while somehow still keeping his casual demeanor. His eyes flickered to the art, then to the hallway. 

“Go” was all he said before they booked it for the front door. Once the door flew open, Eren had never felt more relief. They made it to the sidewalk and began walking in the opposite direction of his apartment. He took the biggest breath he could to make up for the lack of breathing for the past who knows how long. Being free again made Eren realize that he’d hardly said anything in a long time, but he still didn’t really have any words to say. This man seemed to snatch all the words from his throat. Eren watched him walk ahead. Though short, he had a long, quick gait. 

Eren just followed a few paces behind the shorter man as they walked down the block. He took this time to check his watch—8:47. That had taken up more time than he thought. He hoped Mikasa didn’t get out of work early today or she would be asking a ton of questions. Whenever she worked until 9:00, she got home at around 9:30 after cleaning up, closing, and walking home. He only had a little bit of time before he would have a lot of explaining to do. How could he even begin to explain what was going on? He guessed he couldn’t unless he wanted his blood on this guy’s hands. 

Eren almost ran into him when he stopped and pulled out car keys. Eren looked across the road when a car’s lights turned on. That could not be his car… 

“A C7 Corvette?” He accidentally marveled at it out loud. 

“Glad you have eyes, brat. Now get in.” Levi slipped into his sleek, matte black sports car. 

Eren never thought he’d be sitting in a C7 Corvette next to a man who threatened to kill him. But here he was. There was a long moment of silence as they drove through the town. Eren knew they weren’t going in the direction of his apartment; he wasn’t sure where they were going. Hopefully he just wouldn’t end up in a ditch somewhere. He was still scared, but somehow he was more intrigued by him. Eren took this chance to look at him. 

He was staring straight ahead at the road, his face angelic in the passing artificial light that illuminated the road. His profile was strong, his jaw sharp. He seemed really laid back for what just went on. Eren probably looked like a mess. He could almost feel his hair sticking in every direction, ruffled from the coats in the closet and the breeze outside. 

He knew he’d be considered truly crazy if he ever admitted that he found this stranger beautiful. 

“If you’re going to stare, you might as well answer some questions for me. You don’t get to look for free.” The man actually teased him, still with very little facial expression. Eren felt the heat rising to his cheeks. He hoped to every god there might be out there that he wasn’t visibly blushing. He didn’t think he’d get caught, the man was staring straight ahead the whole time. 

Eren cleared his throat. 

“What do you want to know?” His voice felt weird to use. 

“What’s your name?” Simple enough. 

“Eren.” 

“Last name, too, shithead.” 

“Jaeger. Eren Jaeger.” 

Another, shorter, pause followed this time. “What do you do?” He asked in a monotone voice. Eren didn’t even consider lying now that he knew his name. He probably could figure out anything. 

“I-I work at a café. In a bookstore” he complied. Somehow he didn’t want to be back at the café as badly as he did at the beginning of this ‘adventure’. He hoped to any god again that it was not because he couldn’t stop staring at him. 

“Mm.” The man at the wheel made a noise of understanding. “Where do you live?” 

Eren finally hesitated on one like a normal person would. The only smart thing he’d managed to do this entire time. The older man sensed his hesitation in a heartbeat. 

“I’m not going to break into your house and kill you.” It was like he was reading Eren’s mind. It made Eren tense up. He was already sitting as far as he could towards the door. 

“I’m going to take you home. I’ll only have to kill you if you don’t comply.” He was serious, his voice dropping low again when he spoke that second line. Eren could feel his palms sweating again. 

“I live above the bookstore I work at. Bodt’s Books. Just down the road from—you know—the uh town house we were just at.” Eren didn’t normally struggled with speaking or saying what was on his mind. This was a different situation, he figured. He was being threatened. He hated that he had to reassure himself of that. 

Taking the long way around, Eren ended up right in front of the bookstore. Just as he was told. The other man asked him a few more questions, ‘do you go to school?’, ‘any roommates? Friends?’, things like that. Eren went along with it, for ease. He knew if he annoyed the criminal any more he could get hurt. 

“Uh so um…” Eren didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what would happen after this. “I-“ He didn’t know where he was going with that either. 

“Shit, Jaeger, spit it out or think before you speak.” When Eren turned to face him, the man was looking directly into his eyes. Eren was stuck there again. Caught in his intense gaze. There was another pause before he spoke again. “Well if you’re not going to finish that eloquent sentence of yours, my offer still stands. I will give you a few days to think. I’m not that unreasonable” The man mused. “Not sure why you have to think about it unless you have a death wish, but think about it. Until you decide, you will be under careful observation. Don’t even attempt to tell anyone about me or what happened today.” This was the most he’d ever spoken to Eren in the short time they have been acquainted. 

Eren sat and thought about his words for a minute. He forced his mind to focus on what he actually said and not the sound of his voice. 

“Okay.” He managed. After saying one thing, he felt his resolve coming back. It also could be because he was assured to be alive after this chat. “I won’t say a word.” Eren knew he didn’t want to die, but he wanted a few more normal days before his life turned upside down with whatever it is he was about to get himself into. Eren looked at the man, he looked almost like he was contemplating something. 

“You say anything and I will kill you… personally.” Eren nodded, chewing on his lip. The driver didn’t take his eyes off of the young man. As if that solidified something, the man answered Eren’s biggest question-- 

“Levi.”


	3. Under Careful Observation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren still has a choice to make, which means Levi has to keep an eye on him to make sure he keeps his mouth shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit longer because It is the entire week that Levi keeps an eye on Eren! I didn't feel like I should break it up so here it is lol. I think there might be like one or two instances of fowl language just to forewarn.  
> I had fun with this one, too. Levi's keeping his word-- but is he also having some fun? (;

Chapter 3:

Eren woke up the next morning to his chiming alarm and tapped his phone screen, missing a few times, to stop the incessant noise. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, grey sheets a mess. When he didn’t feel clothes under his bare feet as he attempted standing, he woke right up.  


His eyes shot open, no longer half-lidded from sleep. His room was spotless. In a rush every morning to get ready for work, his clothes wind up scattered on the ground, but they weren’t there. He stood up carefully, only in comfy sleep shorts and a T-shirt. After scanning the room, there were only some folded clothes on his dresser. Those were the only things left out. Cautiously, eyeing around the room as he went, Eren walked to up to them. He took slow careful steps, not really sure what he was expecting to happen. A white piece of paper sat folded on top of the dark pile of fabric.  


Eren wasn’t sure if he even owned paper, what was this? He picked up the small paper and flattened it out. He was surprised to see neat, black script on the stark white page.  


“Your room was a mess. Wear these, they’re actually clean. 

-L”  


Eren stared at the note in his hand. It was short and to the point, but he felt like he had to keep rereading it. Levi had gotten into his room? The thought made him look around wildly, his face more than likely crazed. He checked the closet—that looked the same just with more clothes in his laundry hamper, but no one there. He checked the window-- locked. The dresser drawers untouched as well. Levi had just broken into his house somehow last night, picked up the clothes on his floor, and gave him new clothes. He couldn’t have been more confused.  


Last night after Levi told him his name, Eren checked his watch and noted that Mikasa would be home soon. Levi told him to get out so she wouldn’t ask any questions and that was that. Mikasa never knew any different and Eren saw his car pull away. How did he get in here?  


Eren went back to the dresser after his investigation of his bedroom and picked up the clothes. He laid them out onto his bed and looked them over. All black--he wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t really his style as much as it seemed to be Levi’s with his all black suit. He nearly picked something else, but remembered Levi’s warning.  


‘Until you decide, you will be under careful observation.’  


Scrunching his face slightly in debate, Eren ended up putting them on. He looked in the mirror, up and down at himself. Mikasa would surely notice they were different than his usual attire, how would he explain them?  


He was now wearing black jeans that fit him well for once, a black button down with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and grabbed the black jacket that was also there for him. The black jacket looked like his favorite one, minus the hole. It was an almost featureless sleek fabric, only a few buttons visible, the pockets, and a collar that stuck up a bit. These were the nicest clothes he’d ever worn. Why would Levi get him new clothes? Probably because he couldn’t be seen with some messy kid or something.  


Mikasa knocked on his door then.  


“Eren? Are you up?” She called, making sure he was awake for work like she usually did if he wasn’t eating breakfast by now.  


Eren’s heart went into overdrive again. He was going to end up with a heart attack from all these experiences. A healthy 23 year old like him should be safe, but not one plagued by worry every five minutes.  


“Y-Yeah I’ll be right out!” Eren tried to buy himself more time to come up with how he got these new clothes. He looked desperately at the door, willing it to stay closed--to no avail.  


Mikasa swung the door open and saw him standing there, in completely new and out of character clothes. Eren tended to lean towards earthy tones, not crisp all black. Immediately, he noticed the questions running through her mind when her eyes narrowed. She was easy for Eren to read. He straightened up and decided to play on it.  


“Like them?” He said, looking in his mirror to pretend he was happy with a brand new purchase.  


Eren genuinely did like them, they were nice clothes, so he didn’t have to fake it. Mikasa looked him up and down with scrutiny in her dark eyes.  


“They look great on you, but where did you get them?” She could clearly tell they were good quality and therefore likely expensive. Not much got past Mikasa.  


“I bought them. After work yesterday. Marco let me out a half hour early so I decided to treat myself to some nice clothes.” Eren tried probably a little too hard at being convincing enough for her to at least leave him be for now. His sentences were too short, too fragmented. Her eyebrows pulled together for a moment before she nodded once.  


“That’s great. Now don’t be late for work.” With that, she shut the door.  


Eren plopped down onto his bed, arms draped over his knees, with a sigh of relief. She either bought it or knew she didn’t have enough time before work to keep pressing the matter. He was at least able to stay not-dead for a little while longer. Any screw up and he figured Levi would take great joy in slicing him apart piece by piece.  


Dropping his head into his hands, he ran his fingers through his messy mop of hair before forcing his legs to support his weight. He needed to eat some breakfast and get downstairs before Jean started saying shit about him to their coworker Sasha. 

Eren stood at the register, leaning his head in his palm, watching the three people in the bookstore absent-mindedly. Each one did the same thing—pick up a book, flip three or four pages, put it down, and repeat. It was another slow day, Tuesday, and at 1:00 in the afternoon to boot. A very boring combination. Sasha was cleaning some of the machines while Jean swept under the tables. They were even supposed to have a fourth person on the shift today, Connie, but it was so slow Marco told him not to come in.  


A couple of hours passed and a miracle happened, the store was littered with people. They weaved between the café and the bookstore sections. Eren was so busy there were more than two people in line at any given time. Connie would have been helpful to have on hand now.  


“Have a good day!” Eren would say goodbye to one customer just to say hello to the next.  


Every seat was filled and none of the workers could see to the bookstore at this point. There were so many people in line, waiting for food, or looking for what they wanted on the menu on the wall behind the counter. This was about their usual Friday or Saturday night, and on those nights they have five people working: one at register, one making drinks, two making food, and one with clean-up/odd jobs. Busy was better to Eren, more money and the time went by faster.  


About thirty minutes later, the crowd subsided enough for the Bodt’s café crew to breathe in between customers. Eren finished the transaction with the woman he was waiting on and took a deep breath. Looking up from the cash register’s computer screen, Eren’s eyes shot open wide.  


Sitting alone at a table casually with a book, was a familiar dark haired and fair skinned man.  


Levi.  


Eren just stared. He knew he was going to be under observation, but he didn’t think he’d see Levi. Particularly not out in the open. Not so soon, too. The whole world felt like it had stopped at that moment and he was transported back into a matte black c7 corvette beside a man so dangerous Eren didn’t know the extent of his crimes.  


He had on a suit again, this time black with white undershirt. He must have slipped in as the store got busy so that no one would be able to get too familiar with what he looked like. Because if anyone had the chance to look at him, they wouldn’t forget. He was so striking.  


Levi shifted his eyes to check on what Eren was doing. When he saw that Eren realized his presence, Levi turned to look into Eren’s deep green eyes. Eren jumped when Levi looked at him, but never took his eyes away from his sharp, grey stare. A small smirk graced Levi’s lips at Eren’s startled expression. The most positive feedback he’d ever received from the criminal. Eren’s lips parted in shock—partially from Levi being here and from the normally stoic man’s smirk.  


Eren was jolted out of his moment by an approaching customer to which he clumsily greeted and took her order. If he kept doing this he was going to get fired. After he finished, Eren’s eyes shot to where Levi was, but he was gone. He would have slapped himself if he wasn’t around people, almost sick at realizing he was disappointed not seeing Levi sitting there. Eren guessed that he had made his point by being seen shortly, to let Eren know his offer yesterday was entirely sincere.  


Despite his brain yelling for him to just let it go and continue working, his eyes moved against his will. Eren let his eyes scan the store, but nothing. He looked to the left, out the window, and again nothing. How could he disappear so easily without Eren seeing? Levi must have been doing this type of thing for a long time. He was made well aware that their agreement was still intact and that Levi was very skilled at doing what he wants.  


He sighed. The rest of the night carried on boring once again, even though it was steadily busy.  


When he got up to the apartment, Mikasa was already home. She was eating fruit at the counter with the T.V on some home renovation show.  
v “Hey Mikasa. How was work?” Their greetings normally started like this since their routine was essentially the exact same every day.  


“Same as always.” She gave him another look that was attempting to read him.  


Eren kept moving as normal, grabbing some cereal for his dinner. “The café got really busy tonight, which was nice.” He kept going.  


“Eren, did you really buy those clothes for yourself?” Mikasa said out of the blue and turned around to face him, a hand on her hip. Her dark eyes not wavering from him. Eren took a moment to think of a response, thanking his previous self for thinking over some excuses.  


“What do you mean, ‘did I really’?” Eren played as dumb as he could. His heart was beating hard, something he hoped wasn’t able to be read outside his body.  


“I don’t know…” She retreated her attack a little bit. He must have seemed hurt enough by her accusation. “It’s just not your style and they seem expensive.” She tried again. “You’d never buy anything expensive.”  


Eren paused. He knew she wouldn’t just give up like that. When she felt like something was off she wanted to fix it.  


“Well…” Eren thought as quickly as possible. “To be honest they were on sale and… I wanted to try and look a little more professional at work.” Eren felt pretty decent about that cover. No one would keep arguing, not even Mikasa, after a few comments back and forth. Not on something that really had no basis.  


“Well they do look nice.” The interrogation ended there.  


Eren was almost as relieved as the moment he stepped out of that townhouse behind Levi. Nothing will top that. Eren felt a strange twinge of guilt at that moment, having been involved in that mess. He had no idea what happened to that man. To think of it, he had no idea why Levi was putting the paintings in there to begin with. It didn’t sit right with him. Nothing seemed to connect. If he stole the art FOR him, then Levi wouldn’t have worried when he came home… Maybe to have a place to put them for the time being and it all was interrupted by an annoying self-righteous kid? Eren couldn’t think of any other plausible reason.  


Eren noticed he had been staring into space for a bit and hoped Mikasa hadn’t noticed. She was still watching the T.V so he assumed thankfully she missed his sudden empty stare. Acting weird right after she thought something was off was not going to help his case.  


He pushed it out of his mind for the time being and watched a few shows with Mikasa before heading to bed. They watched the home renovation shows almost the entire night, it was their favorite kind. Sat on the plain brown couch that was a hand-me-down from the Arlert’s, Eren rested his feet up on the coffee table (also a generous hand-me-down). Thank goodness for them or the Jaeger-Ackerman family would only have two lamps and a chair for the living room. While watching the show, the two would point out things that they wanted in a future house if they could have it. After a while of this, Mikasa usually went to bed and Eren not long after.  


His room felt weird still being clean--extremely clean. He could see every inch of the white carpet. Even the coffee stain from a week ago was gone. How did he not wake up? He turned in a slow circle to survey the revamped space. It seemed as though Levi wanted it clean, he guessed he’d have to keep it clean now. Eren turned to the mirror after staring for too long at the carpet.  
It was still weird looking at his reflection wearing nice, all black clothes. The color, he had to admit, complemented his tan skin although it was not one of his preferred earthy toned colors. It was much different than the elegant way it looked with Levi’s fair skin, but it still worked he supposed. During the inspection of his clothes he noticed something. There was a small white blob in his room behind him. He whipped around to see another folded piece of paper lay on top of his desk.  


“No way…” Eren said under his breath, reaching for the note.  


He held it in his hands for a moment, turning it over and over, contemplating everything. He had so many mixed emotions about this mess he wound up in. All on opposite sides of the spectrum. Thinking about the crime Levi committed and being threatened almost made his hand clamp down on the note. It made him feel anger towards the whole situation. But his curiosity about that man and human survival mode wouldn’t let him do that. Crumpling the note would surely mean confrontation.  


He pried the note open with his index finger, eyes scanning the sleek script. His neat handwriting contrasted with his word choice. 

“Good job today, brat. I see you follow orders well.  
You look great in all black, just like I thought.

-L”  


He stared at the second note just as long as the first. This is probably where he went right after he left the café today. He was lucky Mikasa wasn’t suspicious to the point she looked in his room. He could not explain this.  


Eren bit down on his lower lip. The words stirred something in him he wasn’t sure he was happy about. Something akin to satisfaction. And yet he couldn’t tear his eyes from the small page.  
“You look great in all black, just like I thought.”  


Levi was able to get to him physically, he was too good at working his way into anyone mentally, and if Eren were to let him in emotionally he would be fucked.  


In one swift movement, Eren tossed the note onto his dresser and threw himself into bed facing the wall the entire night. He needed to keep his mind clear.

 

At work the next day, Eren was dressed in his regular clothes. Just a pair of khaki pants and a black collared shirt. The employees could wear any neutral colored, nice clothes since they wore the black aprons over them anyway. Thankfully there hadn’t been another outfit laid out for him to have to wear and explain yet again. He almost didn’t get away with one new outfit let alone if there was a second.  


Wednesday had carried on like normal, no short, bad-tempered criminal keeping an eye on him. Eren couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t show up. There wasn’t even so much as a note left in his room. There’s no way a man with his reputation could leave a witness like Eren out unsupervised. That must mean he was busy today.  


Eren gulped, not wanting to know what that meant exactly.  


Levi never showed. Eren went through his nightly routine normally for the first time in a few days without interruptions or surprises. Though Mikasa was there, it strangely felt like something was missing. He tried his best to brush it off. Dwelling on the criminal NOT bothering him was the opposite of what was supposed to happen. Normal was what he wanted. That’s the whole reason he had delayed answering the short man.  


He laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He hoped this feeling would pass, but he knew the feeling he was trying to suppress was excitement to see the man that has invaded his life.

 

It was now Thursday morning and he woke up to his bed jolting along with a loud slam. His eyes shot open to see Levi with his foot up on the wooden frame at the end of his bed. Eren turned to his bedroom door after he yelled, clearly afraid Mikasa heard. His eyes shot back to what woke him up. In his usual attire, a dark suit, his hands were in his pockets with a blank expression directed at Eren. Eren’s heart jolted into action the moment his eyes met Levi’s.  


“Your sister left already, don’t you think I’d already thought of that?” He dropped his foot back to the ground. “Tch.”  


“Wait if Mikasa is gone I have to get going. I’m going to be late.” Eren threw his covers off and rushed around his room like a tornado. The fear of being late overtook his nervousness over Levi being in the room.  


“Calm yourself, brat, she just left a minute ago. I just needed to make sure you haven’t run your mouth like we talked about.” Levi glared at Eren until he turned around, several pieces of clothing in his arms and a sock falling to the ground. Levi rolled his eyes at Eren’s sloppiness.  


“O-Oh” Eren, slightly embarrassed about his reaction, threw his work clothes on his bed and bent down to pick up the sock, too. “I haven’t told anyone anything. Although Mikasa was suspicious about the clothes because I never buy anything expensive.” Eren made a point to tell him about the clothes incident so that it wouldn’t be a problem again. “I think I got her off my case enough this time, though.”  


As a nervous action, Eren ran his hand through his hair, suddenly remembering that he probably had horrible bed head. As subtly as possible, he smoothed his hair out to the best of his abilities. Having bed head and more than likely drool stuck on his chin was not helping his confidence in front of the intimidating man stood in his bedroom.  


“Well then lucky for you, I don’t have to kill you yet.” He leaned against the bed frame. Eren chewed the inside of his lip. He had to remind himself that as long as he didn’t say a word, Levi wouldn’t lay a hand on him. Eren noted some sense of joking behind his words which was weird.  


“Lucky me.” Eren said with a hint of sarcasm. The sarcasm was more in exasperation than for attitude. Levi’s face twitched into a smirk for a second before stepping in front of Eren.  


“Anyone else that has gotten in my way is gone now, so you should feel lucky” his voice lowered, his velvet criminal voice coming out to play. “I don’t have to make you any different.” Levi was well within Eren’s personal space in just a single stride, their eyes locked. There was still something in the way he said it that made Eren believe he wasn’t entirely serious, but it unnerved him nonetheless. Eren couldn’t help but search for emotion in his eyes while he was so close. He knew his own betrayed how much he was feeling—nervous, confused, and curious. He never was good at hiding emotion. Levi kept his mask up well, but Eren knew he’d seen some cracks in it.  


Eren’s eyes were wide. His focus shifting back and forth between his intense eyes and the close proximity they were in. Levi’s threats shouldn’t be taken lightly, Eren still knew nothing about his crime record. He noticed another one of those small flickers of emotion pass over his stare before he stepped around Eren towards the door. Was it apologetic? Was it… worry? Care? Eren couldn’t tell. He hadn’t seen any of those genuine emotions from Levi, so he couldn’t make it out.  


“Right” was all he could muster. For all he knew, he was just seeing things.  


“Your shift starts in fifteen minutes.” He was still turned slightly away from Eren when he relayed that information, facing towards the door. That almost confirmed that there was some sort of emotion that had crossed the criminal’s mind.  


Levi strode out the door with Eren staring after him.  


Slowly he realized no day was going to be normal anymore, even if he hadn’t secured his decision to join Levi yet. The careful observation happened whenever and wherever. Suddenly, Eren felt like his every move was being watched even though Levi had already left.  


Work was going to be long since the only thing Eren found himself thinking about, with a mental slap, were Levi’s intense eyes. 

 

Friday was bound to be busy, the Bodt’s crew just had to get through the slow morning. Eren was off register today, cleaning and occasionally helping with making drinks. He preferred register almost because either there was work, or he could watch the T.V. When cleaning he had to act like he was doing something constantly, he had no excuse to just wait around like at the register.  


By 4:00, business was already picking up. People out of school and home from work came in especially to the café at this time to get a snack. Eren felt himself sigh at every incoming customer. No one exciting came in. Eren stopped his train of thought right there. Directing his attention to the crumbs on a table, he couldn’t believe his own mind.  


Still, he couldn’t stop his eyes from sifting through the crowd in search of the familiar man dressed in all black. Thinking of the way his heart beat yesterday when their eyes met made his stomach lurch. At least his head still knew what was right. Kind of.  


He made it to closing time. Eren was helping clean the dishes. This had been a long, boring day. He managed to knock over two chairs and he accidentally bumped into someone which knocked their drink out of their hand and he had to clean it up. Tired and fed up, Eren couldn’t wait to get home and sit down. His feet were aching.  


Sasha came up to him then, broom still in hand.  


“Eren, can we switch shifts? Can you take my Sunday if I take tomorrow for you?” Sasha asked him.  


“Yeah sure, I’ve got nothing going on.” He always had at least one day off on the weekend, so it really didn’t matter which one. He’d have to check and see what Mikasa’s weekend looked like.  
“Cool, my cousin wants me to go to some school thing with her tomorrow, this play I guess, but I don’t want to. Now I can just say I work.” Sasha laughed and Eren joined in. Of course that was her reason. They continued chatting as they left and Eren said goodbye as she walked to her car.  


“Have a good night! Thanks again!” She said as she ducked into her small Nissan car.  


Eren waved to her and took the steps up to his apartment. 

A giant sigh escaped Eren’s lungs as soon as he shut the door behind him. Home at last and with a day off tomorrow. He threw his coat off onto the couch and yanked his shirt over his head on his way into his room. Sweatpants were the first thing on his agenda so he began unbuckling his belt as he stepped through his door.  
He almost missed the figure sitting on his bed in the dark.  


Eren yelled in surprise, taking a few steps back. “What the FU-“  


“Shut your mouth, Jaeger, you better not make a habit of that.” A familiar deep, silky voice accompanied the figure.  


Eren’s eyes glued to the barely lit shape of Levi sat on his bed. He sat with his back straight, the book he had had at the café was closed beside him.  


“I’m surprised you wouldn’t have expected this. After all, I know you’ve been getting my gifts.” He rose then and moved towards Eren. Eren’s torso was just barely lit from the moonlight of the window, illuminating his lean muscle ever so slightly to show his shirtless frame. He could have sworn Levi’s eyes were looking a little lower than his face.  


His petite frame brushed against his side as the fair skinned man went for the light switch. Eren had been too startled to think about turning lights on, he suddenly felt really stupid. What did he expect? For them to just sit there in the dark?  


As soon as the lights flashed on, a slam followed, and Eren turned to see Levi leaning against his now-closed bedroom door. Eren’s mouth went dry at the sight. Figuring it was because the criminal cutting off his escape route. That’s what his brain reasoned, anyway. Not because they were now shut in the room alone. Levi was in a dark grey suit and white button up, the suit jacket just resting on his shoulders with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His tie was thin and black, matching the color of his shoes. Always dressed extremely nice.  


Eren was dying to know more about him.  


Levi lifted an eyebrow and Eren felt a blush rise to his face, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hide it, as he watched Levi’s emotionless eyes trace slowly down his tanned body and snap back to meet his wide gaze. Eren’s heart was pounding, taking in the sight of Levi looking at him.  


“I buy you new clothes and you still can’t dress yourself, tch.” Levi narrowed his eyes at the brown-haired man. He threw out an insult, but he still never took his line of sight away from the topless 23 year old. Eren watched his eyes carefully, thinking he saw a similar little flicker of something in his blank stare.  


Eren was then made painfully aware of his half naked body. He threw his shirt back over his head and buckled his belt while Levi strode behind him to sit at his desk chair, crossing one leg over the other.  


“S-sorry I just got home from work, I was going to change into sweatpants…” Eren found his voice again. He hated that Levi’s intimidation worked so well on him. He was never this easily intimidated by anyone.  


“I know.” Levi answered shortly. “Your routine was easy to pick up on. You have done the same thing the last two nights.” He waited to see if Eren would say anything. He didn’t. Holding his tongue was better than spewing random shit.  


“Sorry I couldn’t visit you at work today.” Levi actually smirked at Eren, who was still standing in the middle of the room. The mention of him visiting work shocked him. “I was busy. I hope you weren’t too disappointed.” The way he spoke changed at the end, giving more emotion to the last sentence. Eren didn’t think he could stand on his tired legs anymore. Sitting on his bed felt better.  


“Well… It was definitely much less eventful.” Eren was proud of himself for not stuttering or letting it slip that he actually looked for him throughout the day.  


“Glad I provided you amusement for a day.” Levi got up and set his jacket on the back of the rickety, wooden chair. He pulled at the end of his well-ironed sleeves to straighten them out, left then right. Eren’s well-dressed guest walked slowly around the room, keeping his front towards Eren. In the middle of his stroll, he got to the point.  


“Have you made a decision yet, Jaeger?” Eren stared at his carpet. It had only been a few days, he thought he’d have more time. He’d hoped to draw this out as long as possible before his life would change forever to who knows what. He had no idea what being partnered up with Levi would mean. There was no way he could kill someone if that’s what would be involved.  


A hand gripped Eren’s jaw, more careful than he expected, and moved his head to look upward--he was face to face with Levi. He tried to read the expressionless face, but he had nothing.  


“Quit shitting yourself, brat, you don’t have to decide today.” He dropped his hand from Eren’s face. The language startled Eren a bit. He looked and moved so elegantly, but again his word choice wasn’t so much. It matched his writing well.  


“I was going to say it’s only been a few days. I thought you said you were reasonable.” Eren surprised himself with a joke. Levi looked at him sharply. Then his face softened into a ‘Hm’. Eren would take it, it was almost a laugh. He was trying so hard to figure this guy out.  


“You have time, but you don’t have forever. I can’t be keeping track of a liable kid like you that could ruin shit for me.” He walked back to his jacket and Eren felt fear grip his chest. Tucked into Levi’s pants in the back was a gun.  


Levi shrugged his jacket back on and turned around. Before Eren could cover up what was clearly fear on his face, Levi noticed. The criminal reached around to his back and pulled out the pistol.  


“This?” Eren eyed the weapon, then looked past it to Levi’s stoic face. “This is for protection, not to kill you. It would be too much noise, too messy.” He walked forward and stood right before Eren. His smirk returned. “Although,” He began, “If you were to step out of line, I might be forced to use it.”  


Eren shivered at how he said it. There was something else there, backing what he said. Seeming happy with the reaction, Levi placed the gun back where it was. Eren wanted to test what exactly it was he noticed behind his words. Swallowing any worry and trusting he wouldn’t get shot, he replied,  


“You won’t need to use it, I’ll behave.” He put all his confidence he had into that statement.  


Levi’s eyes snapped to him while he fixed his suit jacket. Still unreadable, but Eren could have sworn he saw his jaw clench. “Good.” It sounded like he said it through his teeth. Eren was satisfied with himself then.  
“Your sister gets off work in five minutes. You’ll be hearing from me soon.”  


Levi leaned in close to Eren’s ear before departing, his loose hair on the top of his under-cut brushing the younger man’s face.  


“And if you’re going to play this game with me, you better be prepared.”  


With that, he was out of the apartment. Eren flopped back onto his pillow and found himself staring at the ceiling again, replaying Levi’s words over and over in his head. His heart was still pounding. It wasn’t his fault that Levi’s voice sounded like the way chocolate tastes and knew how to get under people’s skin. He probably did this a lot to get what he wanted. Eren drilled the fact that he was a criminal into his head.  


He was scaring himself, to say the least, at how the most exciting part of his day was seeing Levi.


	4. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren finally figures out what Levi does, although nothing about his past....  
> So, will he join him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Chapters might come a little bit slower being so close to the holidays but I will keep up with them the best I can! Thank you for patience and reading my story!  
> You learn a lot in this chapter and there are some more ties to the anime! Keep your eyes open for them!  
> Eren learns a lot too, but not everything about Levi (;  
> Thanks again, friends

Chapter 4:

Saturday.  
Eren opened his eyes at noon, ate breakfast a half hour later, then plopped down on the couch in front of the television. This week had been the most eventful week in months. What would be his favorite activity, relaxing in front of the T.V, now felt boring. Mindlessly, he flipped through the few channels he normally had interest in. He told himself there was just nothing good on, that’s why it felt boring.

Mikasa ended up having to work today, so Eren would be by himself. He was hoping she would be home so he could have a distraction. He needed to keep his head on straight. Nothing on the T.V could keep his attention in the slightest.

“And if you’re going to play this game with me, you better be prepared”

Eren shivered, remembering the way his breath on his skin felt, and stood up only shortly after sitting down. Being stationary wasn’t going to be good for him and neither would being bored. He wanted to have time to at least pretend life was normal. 

 

That’s when he decided to go into the city for a while. Looking around in the shops would keep his mind busy. That’s what he needed. The shops would be crowded on a Saturday—even better. Thankfully, Eren’s prediction was correct. People buzzed all around him up and down the streets of Shiganshina city. Two streets in the center of the city held all of the most popular stores and restaurants. There was never a dull moment here on a weekend. 

 

The memories of last night needed to be pushed from his head. The criminal knew how to work with people to get what he wanted--that was it. Eren needed to keep up his resolve. He would be joining him soon in order to stay alive, but he didn’t have to sink lower than that. He knew right from wrong, he fought for it his whole life. He wasn’t about to turn his back on that now. How could he let this small man evoke such reactions out of him? He didn’t even flinch when he punched Jean straight in the jaw for mouthing off a few years ago and they were ‘friends’. Leave it to a stranger to make Eren’s life hell.  


He didn’t understand why he felt this way, probably intimidation since he’d never felt that really before. After all, Levi was just some random guy. A criminal at that. Eren always thought he had better judge of character than this, than letting his resolve and practical thoughts slip through the cracks because of a thief.

Eren hardly dated anyone. He had a few girls he went to movies or lunch with here and there, but he never really liked any of them. They always sought him out and he’d agree to be nice. Everyone at the café either suspected that Eren was dating Sasha or that he was gay. To be honest, Eren wasn’t even sure himself. Another option had never occurred to him—the possibility that he just… didn’t like girls. It was always ‘she wasn’t funny’, ‘we didn’t click’, ‘her hair smelled weird’. He liked being around Sasha, they laughed a lot together because he enjoyed her sense of humor, but he didn’t feel anything else. 

Not like for Levi

Eren stopped himself right there and shoved the nearest shop’s door open. The store was lined with different forms of art. Paintings hung on the wall and sculptures placed strategically throughout the room on the floor and on pedestals. 

“Good afternoon!” The person behind the counter greeted Eren upon his sudden entrance. 

“Good afternoon” Eren replied with a small smile, thankful for the distraction. He wandered around the gallery with no intent on buying anything. Art was always expensive. One look at the price tag made Eren’s eyes widen. There was nothing in here he could afford on his salary. The saleswoman, he figured, already knew that. 

Being in here was no use, the paintings and art all reminded him of a few nights ago. The first time he saw Levi. Turning on his heels, Eren stormed out of the store hearing a faint “Have a good day” from the woman again.  


He popped into a few clothing stores after the art gallery and contemplated buying a few things only to end up with none of them. Mikasa might be even more suspicious if he actually bought something else since she thinks he just bought a whole new outfit. He sighed. Everything was just getting more and more complicated.  


He carried on his adventure along the streets of Shiganshina just enjoying the new environment. Being out and about really made him feel normal. Until yet again, he was wrapped up in something.  


Eren walked past another shop on the street, but with a yelp, his jaunt was cut short as he was yanked into an alleyway by the back of his jacket.  


“Sorry to be so forceful!” Eren was surprised to hear a woman’s voice. “I just need you to come with me.”  


He turned to see a red-headed woman smiling at him as though she didn’t just drag him out of the eye of the public. Eren held his arms out in preparation for movement, just in case. There was no such thing as too careful. A situation could turn on a dime. One minute you think you’re helping a man carry a large object to be nice, the next you find out he’s a criminal and your life is at stake.  


“Who are you?” He asked carefully. Eren had never seen her before in his life. The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and extended her hand. He learned quickly from Levi to not judge a person on their size, so he knew to be wary. Her formality struck him as strange considering everything that has been happening to him.  


“I’m Petra, I work with Levi.” Of course this had something to do with Levi, but he didn’t expect the words that came out of her mouth.  


Eren’s eyebrows pinched together. If they worked together like she said, Eren wondered why Levi wasn’t here. He also didn’t know Levi already had people working with him. It was looking like Eren was going to be a part of a group, not just his partner. He hoped he wasn’t about to be dragged into a gang. Eren took a step back. His apprehension was evident.  


“You work with Levi?” Eren hoped she’d elaborate. Slowly, he reached his hand out to take hers and she shook it. Knowing she worked with Levi now made her formality, not to mention kindness, also seem out of place. She wasn’t acting like Levi at all or Eren’s idea of a criminal.  


“Yes.” Petra said. “I can’t say more right now, you’re just going to have to trust me.” Her eyes looked honest.  


Eren knew Levi would be careful with his identity, he wasn’t one to just throw it out. He had threatened Eren’s life if he spoke a word to anyone before he told Eren his name. So he reasoned she must be telling the truth. The thought of learning more about Levi and what he could be doing drew him in. Probably against his better judgement, Eren agreed.  


“Okay.” Eren was going to get into big trouble for just saying ‘okay’ if he kept doing it.  


“Great! Let’s go.” Petra, happy with the outcome, turned to walk deeper into the alley. Eren reluctantly followed.

He was now sitting in the front seat of a matte black audi r8 with Petra at the wheel.  


Sitting in another strange car with another stranger was really making him rethink his more recent poor decisions. Being oblivious of what they did, either intentionally or not, made Eren too comfortably unaware. He’d need to be shocked into reality some time. He was waiting to hear horror stories about the crimes they committed.  


Petra drove through the city fast, taking too many turns for Eren to keep track of. He could have sworn they went in about three circles. The buildings blurring past quickly until they came farther and fewer between. That was the only indication of their direction—that they were headed out of the city.  


“Where exactly are we going? Can you tell me that yet?” Eren was starting to snap, not being told anything. They sat quietly for some time and Eren’s mind just starts going. If he was expected to follow along, he was going to need some information.  


“I’m sorry, Eren, I can’t say that yet.” Her apology seemed sincere. It didn’t stop Eren from being annoyed.  


“How am I supposed to go along with this if I don’t get told anything?” He realized he was saying all of the things he wished he had the confidence to say to Levi (if he would remember them in the moment that is). “I’m expected to drop my life and do whatever it is you guys do, kill people or something, yet I have to stay in the dark?” His hands curled into fists, eyes staring angrily ahead.  


“Eren” Petra said calmly, “I can tell you everything, but we have to get to headquarters first. I can’t risk information getting out.” Eren processed what she was telling him, trying to calm down.  


“Okay.” Again with that word. He breathed carefully to keep himself steady.

They drove for ten more minutes before coming to a long road into the woods a little past the edge of town. Driving down the road took another five minutes. Trees lined either side and extended far into the distance. Even though he lived in the area his whole life, this place did not look familiar. Eren watched out the windows to look for any hint of where they were.  


Soon, a rather large stone building came into view. It looked almost like a small castle even. How was this headquarters? Eren thought of an underground hideout or a small cabin, not a decent sized living space.  


No cars were visible until Petra pulled around the back and there sat four matte black sports cars. Eren stared at them, so there were others. There could even be more that aren’t here right now.  


Eren’s eyes darted to the familiar c7 corvette and instantly felt the air catch in his throat. Swallowing the feeling, hoping Petra didn’t notice, he opened his door when he heard her get out and accidentally shut his door a little too hard. He was used to his own rust bucket where the doors stuck.  


When the two got up to the door, Petra pushed her hair back and pulled her earring out. They key-shaped piece of jewelry was more than just an accessory- she unlocked the door with her earring.  


“Does everyone have to wear the key as earrings?” Eren watched as she put it back in.  


“No, not just earrings. For safety, we all wear the keys as regular jewelry, since it is a fashion trend it makes it less obvious.” Eren was surprised he got real information from a question he asked.  


Petra pushed the large wooden door open in a swift movement.  


“Petra!” A chorus sounded as she appeared in the doorway to headquarters.  


“Welcome back.” A single voice said.  


Petra moved to the side to reveal Eren standing behind her. The three men in the room were poised suddenly with a multitude of weapons trained on him. Eren put his hands up in defense and to show he had no bad intentions, but Petra was already on it.  


“Put your weapons down, guys, he’s okay. Levi told me to bring him here.”  


Eren’s heart beat faster. Levi told her to bring him here? Eren shook his head. He was getting worse by the second. You’d think he was still a ten year old with a crush. But it wasn’t a crush--no. The criminal got him wrapped up in something awful and the only way out was death. It was just the intimidation getting to him. Eren wouldn’t let himself feel that way.  


The three on the attack returned to normal. Eren felt their eyes on him, scrutinizing him and his every move. He tried to stand a bit taller, there’s no way he’d let them bother him.  


“Who is he?” A man with a scrunched face asked. His light colored hair trying to be an undercut but was too curly to work right. “He looks like a kid.”  


“This is Eren Jaeger.” Petra said, shutting the door and leading Eren close to the three men. “The kid Levi told you all about.” All but the one confronting him nodded. The one up in his face looked confused.  


“I don’t remember him talking about any kid.” Bad undercut narrowed his eyes at Eren.  


“Oh you might have been in the bathroom. Anyway, Eren is going to be joining our team. Levi recruited him.” Petra said nonchalantly, while Eren’s jaw dropped in shock. He snapped it shut to hide his reaction. That’s what he told them? That he recruited Eren? After a second thought, Eren realized it was probably better told that way than the embarrassing true story…  


A stupid kid messing with Levi’s work almost getting them both caught which left Levi no choice but to give Eren a life altering decision. That doesn’t sound too good. The thought made Eren made Eren’s heart sink. It hung in the back of his mind, but he also knew that Levi did not have to give him the option to join. Maybe that was another thing he could try and muster up the confidence to ask because there was plenty he still needed to know.  


“I’ve never actually seen him so interested in a person as a possible member before!” Petra exclaimed. “He always insisted on monitoring you himself even though I offered a few times.” She smiled at Eren. “He must really think you have potential!”  


Or he wanted to unnerve Eren himself. Though he knew what really happened, he couldn’t help but let himself smile from what Petra was revealing to him now. Excitement rose in him. The original bad thoughts melted from his mind.  


“Anyways, let’s get to introductions shall we?” Petra motioned to the man in front of them.  


“Eren this is Oluo” She had him shake hands with the scrunched face man even though he really didn’t want to. Oluo still eyed him suspiciously.  


“Gunther is on the left there.” Eren nodded in response to the man with dark hair kept short.  


“And Eld is there on the right.” The light, long haired man gave him a hard stare before nodding, too.  


“Nice to meet you all.” Eren chose the polite route. No person would want these guys on their bad side. “I’m Eren.” He repeated.  


“Alright, Eren, let’s get a move on. We have things to do.” Petra cut the meetings there and put an arm around his back to pull him along. Even though he was bigger than her as well, she was really strong. Who were these people?

“You can have a seat there.” She pointed at a rickety looking chair in the center of the empty room. Petra stood in front of it. “So I’m sure Levi gave you the shpeal right? The ‘if you say anything we will have to come for you’ speech.” Petra made it sound a lot less terrifying.  


“Um yeah I got that.” Eren shifted in the uncomfortable chair. The room was dark, apart from where the chair was. The lights coming from the large windows in the front half of the room. “It didn’t sound quite the same, though.” Petra laughed at that.  


“Oh I figured. He’s very serious about this. He is our leader so the last thing he wants is for any of us to get into trouble. It’s what’s kept us in business so long.” She smiled at the confused man sitting in the chair.  


“What exactly is the ‘business’?” Eren asked slowly.  


“I’m glad you asked! See, it’s probably not what you think. Before you jump to conclusions—though you probably have—we are not assassins.” That surprised Eren because as she expected, he had definitely jumped to many different conclusions.  


“Actually, let me give you an example. The man whose house Levi planted the art into, the night you interfered and one of the reasons you’re here-- he wasn’t an innocent person.” Petra began.  


Wait… So she DID know what happened that night? Levi really was recruiting him then, that’s what he considered it. Although Eren didn’t have time for it now, his excitement was still there. But Eren couldn’t follow her reasoning. Levi was a criminal, he stole important artwork from famous galleries. How could that be justified?  


“Levi was planting the art in his house to frame him and get him arrested, but—“  


“What?” Eren interjected before she had the chance to continue, “Why would anyone have to do that? He could go to jail now for—“  


“Eren, that’s the point. As a group, we get criminals off the street in our own way. We are actually employed by the government, but only in secret. We still need to evade the city police to avoid a big outrage.” Eren struggled to understand why anyone would do this, he had a million and one questions.  


“But why would you frame him? I don’t understand. This is still wrong. There is a better way to go about things than ruining someone’s life!” Eren supposed that guy was getting in their way and they needed to get rid of him.  


“That’s the key point I haven’t told you. That man was a terrible man and the police couldn’t touch him because of how he works.” Petra frowned at the thought.  


“What could he have done that was so awful that the police couldn’t do anything about? If he murdered someone they could find that out, so why would you do this to him?”  


“Eren” the serious emotion in her voice got his attention, “that man was stealing money from cancer donations and had done so for twelve years. He was a head worker in the cancer research field in charge of most of the funds they received. When donations came in, he stole about a fourth of the money. The police couldn’t do anything because their business covered him up really well. Once he would leech the money out, he divvied it up within the department heads so they all wanted to keep it under the radar. These people involved would fake their documentation to show less money than was actually acquired, then keep the rest. He had to be locked up.”

Eren saw red.  


His hands tightened, digging his nails into his palm. He gritted his teeth, trying to process the information he was just given. But he couldn’t think straight. His mind filled with images of his mother. Her sickness weakening her body, taking her away from the world way too soon. He thought about the countless times he, Mikasa, and Armin raised money for cancer and worked with charities. Most of that was being taken by this man. No not a man…  


“That monster.” He growled through his clenched teeth. Eren stood up fast, the chair crashing backwards onto the wooden floor. He didn’t even notice. “That bastard deserves to be locked behind bars for life.” Eren felt the anger he used to feel as a teenager boil in his blood.  


“He has been taken into custody and now awaits trial. Even if he isn’t put behind bars, having a scratch on his record means he will have to be extra careful and quit stealing the money unless he wants to go to jail for a long time.” Petra tried to reassure Eren. His anger threw her off. Just before this outburst, he was a timid kid that hadn’t said much to her.  


“It’s not good enough…” Eren mumbled. “I want to get my hands on him… I want to watch him be put away knowing it was me…” He couldn’t stop where it was going now. He understood what this was all about.  


“I’m going to destroy every criminal in this city.” He declared louder, staring straight at Petra. She smiled a soft smile at his outburst and her eyes seemed to see something behind him that he wasn’t paying attention to.  


“Well done, Jaeger.” Eren stilled at the voice that sent chills down his spine. His anger immediately subsided upon hearing his voice. Spinning around, Levi stalked out of the shadows at the back of the room. Surprised was written on Eren’s face. He strode to where the chair was knocked sideways and Eren suddenly felt embarrassed for his actions.  


“Sorry about the chair…” He hastily bent down to set it right side up while the two watched him.  


“Is that a yes then?” Petra took his attention away from Levi, but now having his back slightly turned to the intimidating man made him nervous. Eren took a step backwards to see both of them. It hadn’t occurred to Eren until now, upon seeing him, but Levi wasn’t a criminal. That fact was the one scaring him away from his own thoughts. That meant he didn’t have to have a constant war within himself.  
He was attracted to Levi.

Eren looked at him then, who was staring directly into his eyes and he knew what his decision was.  


“I’ll join you.” He said it looking directly at Levi who gave a curt nod.  


“Welcome to the Survey Corps” Levi said to the newly recruited member.


	5. The New Addition to the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has agreed to joing the Survey Corps, but still has a lot of training to go. First, he has to get his gear and find a way to explain this new job of his to those around him.  
> Plus, a surprise visit from a friend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! He joined! Yay! And yes Levi is actually a good guy (as of now, but what was his past? shh), but that's good because we don't have to feel bad about liking him so much now (':  
> Alright the next chapter might take longer to get up, but I wanted this one up before Christmas! I have plenty of ideas for chapters to come, so the story is gonna continue don't worry!  
> So Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy some fun interactions between our favorite boys (;
> 
> ADDED 1/16/17 sorry guys! ive been so busy starting school and my laptop refuses to connect to internet ): im working on the latest chapter! thanks so much for reading and being patient with me <3

Chapter 5:

[Welcome to the Survey Corps]

Eren could feel the content smile spread onto his face. A rush of a sense of accomplishment followed Levi’s words. It was a strange feeling, being accepted by a person that has been impossible to draw any positive response out of. Now that Eren knew everything, the world didn’t feel quite like it was crashing down anymore. Petra clasped her hands together.  


“Awesome!” She sounded almost as excited as Eren felt. She beamed at the two men in the room. Levi had a softer expression than his usual cold stares.  


It was weird, allowing himself to feel excited about this new endeavor. He had denied it for a week, even stronger than just denying it—he feared it. In his head he, had everything pegged, but it wasn’t like Levi led him to believe anything different from threatening him and watching him closely. He now knew it was to protect what he did, what he and the others thought was right. The group, the Survey Corps, were employed by the government to do (admittedly underhanded) tasks in order to take down criminals that were evading the law too well. It must be important to the members involved.  


Eren always had a strong sense of right and wrong. Crime was wrong and the law was right. This changed everything in a matter of a week. He was under this spell thinking that the police could catch every bad guy. This wasn’t the truth, some slipped through the cracks of the system. Their organization was protected and run through the government, but they still had to work outside the law and not get caught by city police if they could help it. That was extra precaution so their endeavors would not get out to the public. That could cause outrage. If he could do his part in catching criminals, ones like the man stealing money from cancer donations, then he was ready.  


“Eren.” Hearing his name come from the velvet voice he’s been thinking about this whole time took his breath away. He had yet to say his first name, and it almost lost Eren for words. “You don’t resent me, do you?” For the first time, Eren felt like he was seeing a more genuine side of Levi.  


“No. I understand you did what you had to do to protect this.” Eren answered honestly. He could relate to someone protecting something they cared about fiercely.  


“Good.”  


“We were hoping you’d say yes Eren! We knew you’d make a valuable member to the team!” Petra’s happy energy made Eren feel positive as well. “You see, before any missions, we get the details on people involved or near the area. We can never be too careful about anything so we get any and all info possible. You were listed as one of the nearby neighbors and that means you are a person of interest.” Petra paused to glance at Levi, making sure it was okay for her to relay the information. After a nod, she continued. Eren didn’t know where this was going.  


“Well, you only live a few houses down so your name was on that list. We found out that your mother had been through cancer, you donated to and helped with charities—the one’s he’d stolen from, had a history of anger towards injustice, and lived with only your sister.” After rattling off all that information, Eren was stunned. He stared at Petra with wide eyes. “I was the one assigned to investigate that half of the street, that’s why I remember, so—“  


Levi cut Petra off to finish the story where Eren would know it from, the ‘theft’.  


“So when I finally got a good look at you around that huge ass painting, I knew who you were. Originally, I tried to keep you out of it so there wouldn’t be any problems, but then you had to go and recognize the art. It was a good thing we knew your background because if we hadn’t you would have gone through a lot more hell than you did this week.” Eren chewed on his lower lip, he still wouldn’t call it lucky. He was still pretty unlucky for landing in the situation in the first place.  


Levi continued, “I did feel confident about offering you a position from your records and from your interaction with me that day. You fought for getting your way and doing what was right by you.”  


Eren took in their words. There was so much more to the entire ordeal than he ever knew. He was shocked. Accepting it all was taking him a moment--his eyes cast to the floor, eyebrows pulling together in thought. It was so weird to think about what they had known all along. It was also weird seeing Levi in this setting.  


Levi had become so much more diplomatic, and like a leader, in the way he spoke around here. His monotone voice was still there, but his word choice was more eloquent. He was also dressed in a suit, but this time Eren noticed a pin on his jacket. It was a badge, a shield type shape, with wings on it.  


“What’s that?” Eren pointed towards the new accessory. His first question had nothing to do with the situation.  


“Seriously, brat, that’s the first question you ask?” Levi raised an eyebrow. Eren didn’t exactly realize how stupid that probably sounded. But, there was the Levi Eren knew.  


“Well... You told me literally everything. I don’t know how to ask a question about that. But I’ve never seen that pin before.” Eren tried to explain his thought process.  


“The badge is the Wings of Freedom.” Petra spoke up then and Eren’s gaze moved to her. “It’s the symbol of our organization. Anyone involved is to wear them to denote who we are, but not on missions to avoid anyone piecing something together.” She answered, pointing to her own that Eren didn’t even notice.  


“Now, do you have any actual questions?” Levi piped up again. Eren thought for a second.  


“What happens next?” That was the only other question Eren had. Everything else made sense to him. It was protocol that they knew who he was and Levi meant his offer for him to join. Eren understood, at least enough. Petra covered everything he had wondered about.  


“Great question, right now I have to give you a few things.” Petra said, “Follow me.”  


The three walked upstairs into another room that had closets, cabinets, and other storage along with one wooden desk.  


“Up here we keep extras of pretty much everything and it’s also where we have stored your uniform.” Petra walked up to a closet and shifted through some clothes.  


“Here.”  


Petra was holding a hanger with a nice black suit on it. Eren took a hold of it and marveled at the clothing. He hadn’t had anything this nice before. It matched the ones that he’s seen on Levi and Petra was wearing hers. Levi had plenty of different suits, though.  


“Oh and over here—“ She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a pin like theirs, the Wings of Freedom, “This is yours.” Eren smoothed his thumb over the badge. Somehow it meant a lot to be holding this. To be on a similar level to Levi, not just the annoying brat he first met.  


She went over to another cabinet, leaving them open as she went. The next one she opened had a safe inside, tucked behind other things. She input a code into the keypad and opened it. She let out a slight “hmm” noise as she apparently was looking for something, but Eren couldn’t see in. There was some shuffling and scraping noises coming from within as she searched.  


“Tch.” The noise made Eren turn to eye a grumpy looking Levi walking away from them. He took a loop around the room, shutting all the cabinets Petra left open before coming back to them. Before Eren or Levi could say anything, Petra spoke up again. She was unaware of Levi’s annoyance at her actions.  


“Perfect!” She shut the safe and turned around, dangling a string necklace with a key on the end in front of him.  


“Is this… Is this for me?” Eren knew it was a key to headquarters, he remembered what Petra’s looked like. He didn’t think he’d get one right away.  


“Yup! You’re going to need a way in right? Though you’ll probably be escorted most times, better safe than sorry!” She took a step closer and draped it over his head. Eren touched the key now around his neck, it was old and brassy. He liked it and definitely liked it more than if he had to wear earrings. “Well don’t just stand there, we’ll leave--you get dressed!” Petra hurried into the hallway.  


Eren was now standing in the room with Levi.  


“Get dressed. I’ll be right outside the door. Open it when you’re done.” Levi left the small storage room and shut the door behind him.  


Eren laid the, well his, suit out on the desk and looked it over. He only put a suit on once in his life, at his mother’s funeral. He would give it his best shot. Hoping, with a gulp, he wouldn’t look like an idiot in front of Levi. He had to admit he was relieved when he saw no tie.  


Not having a mirror was frustrating. There was no way to know if he looked alright or if he managed to put everything on correctly. He probably looked like he had a fight with it, his hair a mess more than likely. The suit was on at least. The saying Armin’s grandpa had about failure really came in handy right now. Eren was failing a lot. He picked up and folded the clothes he came in, knowing how picky Levi was with cleanliness. With a sigh, he was just going to have to call this good and endure Levi’s inevitable criticism.  


Eren, after much hesitation, opened the wooden door to Levi leaning on the wall opposite the door, with a leg bent up. His assessment began immediately. Levi’s eyes scanned from Eren’s dark hair to his feet shoved into nice shoes. Eren couldn’t read him, there was a blank expression on his face. That left him on edge. There was a few minutes of silence while Eren felt judged.  


Levi pushed himself upright from the wall and stalked towards him. Eren backed up as he came closer, back through the doorway. Levi placed a hand on Eren’s chest, pushing him back as he walked forward. Levi reached out to the doorknob and tugged the door shut on their way with a slam.  


“H-Huh?” Eren asked, startled. His eyebrows shot up high on his forehead.  


Levi didn’t say anything, just walked to where Eren had moved to in the middle of the room. Eren’s eyes widened as he watched Levi’s hands begin unbuttoning his black undershirt. He was too stunned to say anything. His heart beating out of control at the sudden invasion. There was definitely a blush on his face. Every time Levi’s cold fingers brushed Eren’s warm skin on his torso Eren suppressed a shiver. It was a good thing he finally admitted to himself that he was attracted to Levi because there’s no way he could talk himself out of this one.  


Once Levi got to the bottom, he just re-buttoned it back up again. Eren’s face twisted into confusion then. Without even looking at Eren’s confused face, Levi said,  


“Don’t get too excited. You buttoned it up wrong, Jaeger.” Levi teased him, his voice still flat monotone. However, he still hadn’t looked up at Eren. Eren’s face melted into interest. He couldn’t be feeling something as well… Could he?  


“Levi?” Eren didn’t think before acting, his voice just called out his name, wanting Levi to look at him.  


When Levi looked up, Eren wasn’t disappointed. He could, for the first time, read some emotion in his usually intense eyes. He looked at Eren deeply, his eyes unmistakably glossy and lips parted ever so slightly. Suddenly, after staring at the man’s expression, Eren realized he needed a reason to have called his name and stuttered,  


“Er… Uh… Thanks.” Eren finally managed to spit out. “Thank you.” He reformed the words once he realized his voice worked. Levi just nodded once. He almost couldn’t believe what had just happened. It was so hard to move on from it.  


“You better not show up here looking like that.”  


“Well I didn’t have a mirror…” Eren justified. Levi smirked slightly at that.  


“Maybe you’ll have to get dressed at my place next time.” He said it casually as he walked for the door. Then he added, “I have a mirror.” Eren followed Levi as he headed for the hall, trying not to get flustered by his words. That’s when Levi grabbed his arm and pushed him against the door, Levi’s hands on either side. Getting as close to Eren’s face as he could Levi lowered his voice to that smooth tone Eren couldn’t get out of his head,  


“Remember if you’re going to play this game, I told you to be prepared.” They stared into each other’s eyes. Eren was entranced by his fierce stare. “I won’t hold back.”  


Levi pulled back and read the clear emotion on Eren’s face. He could feel the heat rushing all over his body. Now that he had finally accepted it, his body reacted even stronger.  


“Don’t forget, I’m your superior. Subordinates follow orders.” Levi made sure the connotation got across to Eren. And it definitely did. He was now positive that Levi was trying to make him lose his mind. Levi was well aware of the affect he had on Eren and was toying with it. Eren didn’t know what it meant on Levi’s end, was he doing it for entertainment? Or did he actually want to?  


He was just going to have to let it play out. Levi spoke up then once they got to the staircase.  


“Now let’s go. You need to get home before Mikasa does.”  


Eren had to try really hard to trust his legs to move. 

Eren was back in the C7 corvette, memories of the first time sitting in the black leather interior flooding his mind. Everything was so much different than that day, only a week later. He knew everything now. That changed everything. It changed how he remembered all of before, too. Levi just had to protect his organization, but he had trusted Eren with everything by telling him his name after Eren witnessed what he’d done. Eren couldn’t believe that. Thinking of it made him feel important.  


Levi’s voice startled him from his own thoughts.  


“If she asks, say you got an internship at an office.” Levi said, as the city came into view.  


“Okay. I was going to make something up.” Eren leaned an elbow up on the window. “But that is a good cover.” He thought it over for a minute.  


“This way, it’ll be pretty long term. She won’t keep questioning the nice clothes or where you go.” Levi had probably thought all this out already. He was the leader for a reason.  


“Right.” Eren was still nervous as to how she would take it. ”I hope she buys it. She’s been pretty suspicious.” He looked at his feet, then back up at the road. He could only now just recognize where they were. It only looked slightly familiar, not that Eren could get home from here.  


“And tell her I’m your boss.” Eren felt a tingling feeling throughout his body at the mention and his head whipped to look at the man driving. He could almost sense that Levi was enjoying this.  


“Sure thing, boss.” Eren made sure to play along. Levi shifted his eyes to Eren momentarily before looking back to the road.  


“You are good at following orders.” The corners of Levi’s mouth turned up slightly. Eren leaned his head into his hand and looked out the window to try and hide how much that got to him. This was going to be interesting.

 

When Levi dropped Eren off at his apartment, Eren recognized a green Volkswagen beetle in the parking lot.  


“Armin?” He accidentally said out loud. “What’s he doing here?”  


“Who’s Armin?” Levi turned to look at Eren after he pulled up to the curb and parked. Levi rested his left arm over the steering wheel.  


“He’s been our friend for years, but he never said anything about coming over.” Eren was extremely excited to see his school friend.  


“Well get going before any of your friends see my car and questions it.”  


“Okay. Thanks.” Eren said, about to jump out when Levi’s hand caught the back of his suit,  


“Thank me by doing everything you’re supposed to.” Eren nodded to him and was let go. 

Eren rushed up the steps to his apartment, hearing the car speed away. He unlocked the front door as quickly as possible to throw it open. Inside, Armin and Mikasa were sitting on the couch watching T.V. Upon his entrance, his blonde haired friend jumped up.  


“Eren!” They gave each other big hugs, it had been a while since they’d seen each other. It had been busy for all three of them.  


“Armin it’s so great to see you!” He smiled at his life-long friend.  


“It’s great to see you guys, too. Woah Eren you look great, but what’s up with the suit?” Armin moved over a little to where Eren was in view of Mikasa.  


“Yeah… Where’d that come from?” She got up from the couch to stand with the two boys, narrowing her eyes.  


“Well, I’ve been gone all day because I got an internship at an office.” Eren tried to sound triumphant. He followed Levi’s lead.  


“Wow, really? That’s incredible! Where at?” Eren was thankful Armin was here to cheer him on. Even though Armin didn’t know the whole truth, it was nice to have support on new opportunity.  


“It’s uh at this new place a little bit out of the city called… Levi enterprises.” That was probably the worst name he could have come up with.  


“Sounds important!” Armin believed him. He had no reason not to, Eren supposed, but it didn’t sound so real to his own ears.  


“Eren I had no idea you wanted to do this.” Mikasa spoke up.  


“I just was thinking that… you know… we needed more money and I would want a better job eventually, right? So I decided to take this opportunity.” Eren was lying through his teeth.  


He hated lying to his friend and sister so much, but he had to in order to protect them and himself. Lying made him feel like he needed a shower, he felt disgusting. But Eren was on the road to finding the criminals that need to be caught. If Mikasa knew the truth, he knew she’d feel the same. She felt the same pain he had of losing their mom to cancer. If she knew the story behind this man, she would want the same thing.  


It was for the best for everyone if they were kept in the dark.  


“That’s awesome, Eren!” Armin was always so supportive. “I can’t wait to hear more about it. When do you work next?” He asked.  


“I’m not sure exactly.” The first truth he was able to tell. “My boss lets me know when I work.” Eren thought of Levi. He thought of the notes and how he had been coming into his room sometimes. Was that how he’d let Eren know when he was supposed to come back? They never did discuss that. Eren’s heart thumped at the thought of Levi coming back to his room under these circumstances. He was no longer a dangerous criminal, but a dangerous criminal catcher.  


“That’s a strange way for an internship to work.” Mikasa said, folding her arms. “Are you sure it’s legitimate?”  


“Yeah definitely, I mean yes it is legitimate. I know it’s a bit weird, but they don’t do work every single day, it’s more of a… an as needed basis.” Eren was basically describing the Survey Corps without giving away the actual work done. It worked though.  


“That’s different. I guess it’s nice you don’t have to work constantly” said Armin, forever positive.  


“Yeah I have a lot of training now, but I’m looking forward to it.” Eren said honestly.  


The three friends eventually moved on to different topics, one after another. Eren got to hear the stories that Armin had just begun telling Mikasa before Eren got home. He desperately wanted to tell what has been going on in his life. He normally told them everything. There were so many interesting and exciting things happening that he know they would love. Well… Mikasa might not like to hear the theft story or the tales of his interactions with Levi…  


As a tradition, they all fell asleep in a pile of blankets in the living room to a movie they all agreed on.


	6. Pushing the limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's second test of loyalty and if he can follow directions is here. But he also tries to push his limits...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am soooo sorry it has been aaaages, but I am here! The holidays and then college started up... Ack! I haven't had one moment to breathe let alone work on this story ): Lots of ideas flowing though! Hopefully I can get back into a rhythm. I hope you like the chapter (as always), there's some fun Levi/Eren stuff in the middle (; and Quite a bit of Jean and Eren banter lol!   
> Thanks for the support, friends!

Chapter 6:

Eren flew around the apartment, getting ready as fast as possible. He was about to be late for work. As disorganized as he and his bedroom looked sometimes, he hated being late to anything. Caring about being a decent person while also being a mess was a difficult combination. But, hey that’s what being in your 20s is all about. 

He, Mikasa, and Armin stayed up late the night before so Eren slept in a little too much. The moment of panic when he looked at the time on his phone was something he could never feel the rest of his life and be perfectly fine. He had a piece of toast shoved into his mouth and one shoe on while he was trying to put his right arm through the sleeve of his coat. 

“Eren, you’re going to be fine. Slow down before you choke!” Armin tried to keep up with his frantic friend and help in any way he could. Thankfully, his caring nature outweighed the hilarity of the scene and Armin managed to not laugh. Eren had the blond boy rushing in and out of every single room right behind him. Eren’s only response was muffled from around the half eaten toast slice. “What?” Armin couldn’t make sense of any of it. 

Using a free hand to take the toast from his mouth, Eren tried replying again, “I’m fine, but I have to hurry.” Eren said before taking another too-large bite. 

Armin sighed and plopped onto the couch in defeat. He just heard thumping and shuffling for the next few minutes.

“Okay I have to go!” Eren ran past him to the door.

“Wait! Don’t I get a proper goodbye?” Armin stood up again.

“Sorry, yeah, you’re right. I’m just a little stressed.” Eren gave his long-time friend a hug. “I’ll get to see you soon, right?” He asked. Mikasa was off today, she was in the shower and would see Armin off in a little while. 

“Um… I don’t know. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get off work next.” Armin frowned.

“I’m sure it won’t be too long. Just make sure you text me, okay?” Eren smiled and tried to keep the spirits up.

“Okay!” Immediately, Armin brightened up. The positivity this kid had sometimes was off the charts.

“See ya later, Armin!” 

Eren made it to work only two minutes late. Everyone always gave him hell for it since he only lived upstairs. That was one of the worst parts of being late. Marco was always cool about it if it was only a few minutes, it was his coworkers that gave him hell. Mostly Jean. 

“Hey, we all sleep in on accident sometimes.” He justified to Jean who was already talking his ear off about Eren’s little slip up.

“Not when we live upstairs from our work we don’t.” Jean fired back and Eren just rolled his eyes. They opened soon so they both had to get work done, which was alright with Eren. That just meant their bickering died down.

On Sunday’s they closed at an earlier time, thankfully. The bookstore closed at 6:00, so he was out of there by 7:00 at the latest after cleaning up. He looked forward to the early nights. He thought that maybe Mikasa would want to go grab dinner or something. It also meant less time on his feet and getting away from Jean’s annoying comments.

Something felt off at work this time, though. Eren spent the first few hours trying to figure out what was missing. One day off and suddenly everything was strange. At one slow moment, it finally clicked. No one was there. Not just because it was slow, but he didn’t have to keep an eye out for a short, pale, man watching him. 

Things were, sort of, normal. At the bookstore, at least and it had been a while since he could say that. He didn’t live in constant fear of being killed. Also not having to be conscious of every move he made was a plus. It did make the day a lot more boring, however, and that meant it went by slower. He supposed that was a weird thing to think. Relief should be the stronger emotion here rather than boredom. Eren attributed it to the fact that Sasha didn’t work today either, his closest friend here. They goofed off a lot and made the work load easier. 

His expression must have looked a little down or in thought because Jean felt the need to comment,

“What, Jaeger, miss your girlfriend, Sasha?” He taunted as he wiped down the tables. Normally, he would get fired up about comments like that. It made him angry mostly because he didn’t understand himself. He still didn’t really… But after meeting Levi he felt like he knew a little bit more. There was something there, something he’d never experienced so he had no idea what to think of it. 

It was still a subject he needed to think a lot about. 

“Yeah, I do. If she were here I’d have to talk to you a lot less.” Eren smiled at his own comment and kept up his current job of slicing fruit. Stealing a glance at his face, Eren almost laughed at Jean’s annoyed expression. 

“Very funny.” He spat out after a minute. Eren seemed to have gained the upper hand. 

The shop stayed comfortably busy for the majority of the day. Eren had a smile on his face up until they turned the sign over and locked the doors. When he went out to mop the floor, his eye caught something out the window in the, supposed to be empty, parking lot. 

An all-black c7 corvette was parked across from the largest window, the one Eren always daydreamed out of. Eren knew exactly what this meant. As if following his line of sight and thought process, a voice piped up from behind—

“Woah, whose car is that in the parking lot?” Eren heard Connie ask from over his shoulder. 

It was the only vehicle there so it was hard not to miss. Levi probably planned that so Eren could explain their cover. Levi never did anything without a deliberate reason, even down to when and where he parked. At first, Eren froze. Having to answer (lie), stirred up his nerves until he remembered what they discussed. There used to be such a grey area of what he was and wasn’t allowed to say. Eren turned around, feeling a little less jittery,

“Uh… That’s my boss.” Eren said slowly. Being able to admit he worked with Levi felt really strange. 

“Your boss? You have another job?” Jean piped up then from the back room. Eren had to hide the annoyance that almost creeped onto his face, he’d hoped Jean would have stayed oblivious.

“Well, an internship, yes.” He tried to keep it as vague as possible but he knew Jean was nosy. Getting him out of his business would be a challenge Eren didn’t want to deal with. 

“What kind of internship?” He snapped the question, receiving a glare from Eren. 

“It’s a business internship. You want to know my credit card information, too?” Eren hated when he got snippy about information that didn’t concern him.

“Are you going to quit the café?” Connie asked, the disappointment clear on his face. 

“No, no, this is just something on the side. It’s to help with resumes in the future, you know?” Eren shut down the computer system and put dishes in the sink for Jean to wash. 

“Okay good. You don’t need to get an actual adult job yet.” Connie and Eren chuckled at that. But Eren knew his job in the Survey Corps was a lot more intense than an office job. 

“Don’t worry, that won’t happen yet.” Eren reassured his friend. 

“Then what’s your boss doing here?” Jean wouldn’t quit with that incredulous tone. 

“Taking me to work.” 

“But you just worked all day.”

“When do you expect me to work then, Kirstein?”

“A day when you don’t work.”

“My only day off?”

“…”

Eren hoped Jean was finished interrogating him. Once he had nothing left to do, he threw his apron on the hanger in the back, and left through the back door. Luckily, he wasn’t on the list to close tonight either so he could leave whenever he got done. The cool air was refreshing after being cramped in the café all day. 

 

“Took you long enough, Jaeger.” Levi greeted him as he entered the passenger side.

“My idiot coworker was giving me shit.” 

Jean just put him in a foul mood, but once he buckled his seat belt and took one look at Levi, his frustration melted away. Instead, a sort of nervous excitement gripped his insides. Levi tossed a look his way before they took off out of the parking lot. Even though Levi promised not to murder him, he sure felt like all of this was going to kill him. 

“Hm. I can relate. Oluo can act like a shithead sometimes.” Levi related to him.   
“Good to know.” 

“It’s not like you can’t either, kid.”

“You hardly know me!” Eren protested. They hadn’t even had the chance to work together. Eren hoped there was at least a small amount of joking in his statement. 

“I know enough.” Levi glanced at his passenger who was already turned towards him. “Don’t forget how we first met.” Eren huffed and crossed his arms. “You’ll have time to prove me wrong.” 

“I intend to.” Eren was now determined. He wished he could draw more of Levi’s opinion out of him. No matter how much Eren was around Levi, he never felt like he knew enough about him. It was back to the ‘everything he did was deliberate’ idea, he only said so many things and thought carefully about every step. He was the opposite of Eren, the ball of fire and impulse. 

Stealing another look at Levi, he noticed his boss’ outfit and his large eyes almost involuntarily widened. He had to press his lips together to keep his reaction under control. Levi was more casual than he was used to seeing. He was wearing black jeans tailored perfectly to his legs and a black turtleneck. There was no denying that all black suited Levi. The floor suddenly became really interesting as Eren averted his gaze quickly. 

On the road to headquarters, Eren realized he’d never initiated a conversation with Levi. He always let the older man do the talking. If he finally admitted to himself that he liked his intimidating superior, not talking to him wasn’t helping his case. Eren cleared his throat quietly, preparing his voice to work.

“Spit it out then. Weren’t you supposed to prove me wrong?” Levi seemed to read his mind. Eren didn’t have a choice now, but he also wasn’t the one to start up the conversation. 

“Uh, what’s happening today?” Eren figured he’d start off with something easy and relevant. He wasn’t going to let this man get to him so easily. It was probably because no one ever made him feel like Levi had before. It was strange to have his insides tighten when Levi’s eyes bore into him. 

“You’re going to be training. When we get to headquarters you’re going straight to the gym, if you ever want to go on missions you have to be able to hold your own.” 

Eren didn’t even think about that aspect of it. Their missions probably included a lot of running and possible combat if it’s a group of people. He thought for a minute if he had anything he could offer to this end. He was pretty lean and healthy, but he never actively played any sports. 

“You guys have a gym out there?” Eren asked.

“A small one, but it works. It’s on the main floor.” Eren just nodded in response.

“I haven’t had any sort of training before… I’m sure you had when you joined.” Suddenly he felt inadequate. Levi replied quickly.

“I had some training.” Levi sounded different when he spoke then. It was abrupt. Something felt off about it. 

Eren let the conversation pause there as he thought. The air in the car felt tense all of the sudden and it weighed heavy on him. How Levi reacted just then made his curiosity skyrocket, but there wasn’t a lot of time for Eren to process it. Was he trying to avoid something? He wondered if the other members of the Survey Corps knew anything, but if Eren didn’t switch the subject now this tension would eat him alive. 

They were getting close to their destination with the city fading behind them—one of the only indications Eren had that they were nearing headquarters. Dark forest was the only thing in sight. To carefully avoid looking at Levi until he could find a new conversation topic, Eren stared out the window intently.

Somehow, it occurred to him that he had to tell Levi about his conversations about the new ‘internship’. Keeping an updated list of who knew what was probably important to a secretive organization like this. 

“I talked to Mikasa and Armin, even my coworkers, about—you know-- all this.” Eren brought that up instead and Levi was more willing to reply. For such a stoic man, he let his emotions control him more than he probably thought.

“Oh?” He sounded interested. “What did you tell them?” He still focused on the road ahead.

“Well Mikasa and Armin asked about my suit as soon as I walked in the door last night. It’s not exactly a common sight so I told them about the internship thing and I said,” Eren paused and let out a slightly nervous chuckle, “I told them I was working at a place called Levi Enterprises.” Eren’s voice lifted slightly at the end, questioning his actions. The confession embarrassed him. 

Levi let out a noise that was a mix between a scoff and a laugh. Eren watched, surprised, as a smirk come to his face. 

“Very good, nice cover. I wonder what made you think of my name.” He turned to show his smirk to Eren and lifted an eyebrow. Eren noticed Levi enjoyed how Eren was giving him more authority. With his boss’ amused tone, Eren decided to push his boundaries. 

“You are in charge, right? You’re my superior.” Eren’s lips curved into a small teasing smile. The last time he pulled this card, he thought he got something out of Levi. Some small flicker of something that Eren didn’t want to make out to be more than it was, but he couldn’t help it. This was another test. He had to see if Levi’s eyes would give away that emotion again. Eren needed to be reassured that he wasn’t seeing things. He waited for Levi to give him a look.

Levi slammed on the breaks; they were halfway down the road to the stone building. This was not what Eren expected at all, his body lurching forward at the sudden jolt. Levi turned towards Eren and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him close so they were face to face. Their noses almost touching. Adrenaline pulsed through Eren’s body. Everything was dark, the few lights in the car being the only light glowing on their skin. He tried to regulate his breathing, he was hyper aware of every movement going on. 

“I wouldn’t use that too lightly, Eren.” His velvet tone of voice returned and Eren couldn’t stop the shiver it caused. He wanted to keep hearing it. “I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Levi slowly released Eren’s shirt, but neither of them moved from their close proximity. 

Eren almost jumped when he felt Levi’s pointer finger trace up his neck and under his chin. He didn’t realize he’d been looking at Levi’s lips the entire time until the sudden intimate action directed his eyes up to meet Levi’s. He wondered how he ever looked away from the mesmerizing gaze. The look in his eyes was challenging. Eren realized he was supposed to respond and his emotions took over. Never did he think he’d get this much out of Levi. There was no way it was all in his head at this point. He hoped that Levi wasn’t just toying with his clear attraction that his new-to-these-feelings-self couldn’t hide. 

“….What if I want to know?” Eren’s words came out breathy. 

Unknowingly, he chewed on his lower lip, waiting for a response. Before saying anything, Levi broke their eye contact briefly and dropped to Eren’s lips then back up. There was a visible change in his demeanor then. His mouth parted slightly. Levi’s eyes gave away some emotion with the way he looked at Eren’s lower lip. It was the same as before. Eren felt his chest tighten looking at the small reaction he was given from the hard to read man. These two times had been different than the other times Levi had fun flustering Eren.

“Then maybe I can show you sometime.” With one sentence, Levi took control of the situation back and made sure he was in control of himself as well. He pulled away slowly and put the car back in motion. 

Eren didn’t take his eyes off of the dark haired man. His mind was mush. 

“But this job comes first.” They sped off the rest of the way down the road. “Remember that.”

He felt the crushing disappointment of missing what could have come next, but the feelings that Levi brought out of him were still so fresh his mind didn’t focus on the what ifs.   
What even just happened? Levi, at least, confirmed that he was aware of how Eren felt. He was also feeding the feelings, not trying to quash them. That’s when Eren decided Levi was trying to make him crazy. 

When the car stopped, Levi wasted no time in getting out, so Eren rushed to follow him to the door. He desperately wished he had the courage to speak, to talk about what happened. It wouldn’t be smart to talk about where someone else could hear, though.

Once inside, Eren noticed that it was pretty vacant. There was one lamp on in the living room.

“Is anyone here?” Eren’s curiosity pushed the words from his mouth.

“Unlikely. Only Hanji works late sometimes, so she might be here.” He answered. "Everyone else leaves before dinner if there isn't a mission."

“Hanji?” There was another member?

“Hanji works everything technology here. From research, to records, to forensics.” They started walking down the hall in a direction Eren hadn’t gone before.

They didn’t get very far before a loud yell stopped them in their tracks. Levi just looked bored, like he was used to it. Eren jumped.

“Eren!” The loud voice came closer, sounding from behind the two, so Eren whipped around. 

A woman with brown messy hair and glasses was rushing up to him and threw her arms around him. He was startled to say the least. 

“I’ve been waiting to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you. ‘The boy who interrupted’, wow!” She talked at a much higher excitement level than anyone he knew. The mention of how he almost threw Levi's mission made him cringe. He was going to be remembered like that forever, by even members of the force he'd never heard of before. Great.

“Oh right, right, I’m Hanji.” She extended her hand but then decided to hug him once again. 

“Eren.” It was almost pointless to reply his name. “Nice to meet you, Hanji.” 

“It is so great to meet you here in the flesh! Our newest member! It’s been quite a while since we’ve had anyone new! I’m so excited to work with you!” She clasped her hands together. “It’s my job to work with everyone to have the best records of performance and to get you the right equipment!” 

“Sounds great, I’m happy to be here.” Eren wasn’t really sure how to respond to her enthusiasm. He didn’t really know what any of this was about. He hated that he kept being surprised like this. It made him feel like even more of a newbie. 

"We should probably set up an appointment, or what if you just came with me now? Yes! Come on let's--"

“Hanji” Levi interrupted, “He’s got training to do.” He leaned into a hip, closer to Eren who stiffened, Levi almost bumped into him.

“Oh! Of course he does! You guys get right to it, I’ll see you soon, Eren!” Eren smiled politely at her as she skipped the other way. Interesting. 

“She’s always like that.” Levi answered the question Eren was thinking. “You’ll have to meet with her another time. It’s mandatory.” 

"Does everyone know me as 'the one who interrupted?" Eren asked reluctantly.

"That wasn't the name I gave you, but basically yeah." Levi leaned against the wall. "You know that's exactly what happened, right? We went through this didn't we?" Levi didn't take his gaze off of Eren. He felt his skin heat up the longer Levi stared.

"I mean... Yeah... But couldn't there be a better way to describe me.... I'd even take brat over that." Eren rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked off to the side. 

Levi raised a curious eyebrow again, a mischievous small smile gracing his lips. "Well that's good." He said, taking a few steps to stand directly in front of Eren, just barely not touching him. "Because that's the name I gave you." His eyes narrowed, observing Eren's reaction. No part of Eren could hide what he was truly feeling. He swallowed and his breath quickened. Levi was confident, standing his ground. Eren stepped back as casually as possible to hide his nerves. 

"Well I guess that's better than some of the names you must call others." Eren said as smooth as he could.

"I don't have any nicknames for the others. You're the only brat on the squad." Levi turned like he was about to head down the hall. 

"Wow, I must be special then." Eren couldn't help but match the smile Levi wore just a moment before. 

"So you like being called a brat, then?" Levi countered, a hint of his smooth villainous voice and made Eren blush. He could just feel the heat in his cheeks. 

 

Eren opened his mouth to speak but Levi was already headed down the hallway. Eren breathed deeply, taking in the feeling of comfort before training began.


	7. Secrets of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi have a day together, but it doesn't go exactly how Eren would have wanted.
> 
> He learns some things about Levi he wished he never had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo! I am back with another update and I really like this chapter actually, it is jam packed with stuff and is setting the stage for what comes next!  
> Super excited for what's about to come! Thanks for reading and thank you for 1000 hits! Wow! I never thought that'd ever happen! :0 <3  
> (Again sorry if there are any mistakes or something I'm just writing it for fun!)

Chapter 7:

It had been a week. 

Only a week of training. And Eren’s whole body was in pain. His muscles were on fire from the rigorous strength and cardio exercises Levi put him to. Breathing hurt. Most of the time, Levi would run off a regimen and have Gunther watch over his progress. Gunther did not go easy on him. Not that he thought Levi would have… But the impersonal relationship he and Gunther had probably made it easier for him to kick his ass in training. And he did.

Internally Eren was kicking himself for never getting into sports. He was never subject to anything like that. Gym class was never more than a few crunches and the dreaded mile. That looked like a walk in the park now. He wondered if he’d ever be able to move once he sat down.

On top of being in pain, he had to completely hide it from Mikasa and his coworkers as well. If he showed any inkling of his struggling, they would ask about it. He wouldn’t be able to convince them he’d just been working out and no regular office job at a ‘Levi Enterprises’ could make someone’s body so sore they can barely put money into a register. Sweeping the floors was the worst of all of his jobs. His upper arms began burning as soon as he picked it up. No part of Eren was about to wince and give Jean a chance to stab an insult his way. He was not in a tolerating mood. 

 

By the end of work, he couldn’t even attempt to stay on his feet anymore. As soon as he stepped into his bedroom, he collapsed onto his bed which was now the most comfortable thing in the entire world. A person would think he hadn’t sat down in months. He groaned as he rolled onto his back. Oh, there was another sore muscle, some obscure portion of his back. Great.  
That was the ‘fun’ part of working out. Finding out what else was sore.

Tonight was the earliest night he’d had the entire week. Levi let him have today off and although he was grateful to relax, he couldn’t help but miss the opportunity to see his boss. That thought alone was enough to make him roll his eyes at himself. He really had it bad. He knew that. All Eren wanted to do nowadays was get Levi’s feelings out of him. He couldn’t put the thought that Levi felt something past him. Eren got addicted to the way Levi made him feel when he was around the older man, which was probably not good.  
It was such a strange dynamic between the two of them. Hopefully he wouldn’t get fired for flirting with his boss.

His eyes drooped closed thinking about Levi. Probably the kiss of death right there. 

 

“Huh? What?” Eren jumped into a sitting position on his bed, wincing slightly at the sudden movement on his stiff muscles. He looked up to see what startled him out of his sleep. His fear-induced rapid breathing halted momentarily at the sight of the very man who was on his mind right as he fell asleep.  
“I thought the scare tactics were over with…” Eren covered for his moment of staring. 

 

“I thought your outbursts would be over with.” Levi sank down onto the desk chair that hadn’t been moved since the last time he sat in it. That’s how little time Eren had been spending in here lately. If he wasn’t at the bookstore, he was at the Survey Corps’ headquarters. 

 

“That’s not exactly something I can control, you know, I’m sleeping.” Eren countered, sitting up onto the edge of his bed to face Levi. 

 

The first time Levi saw him shirtless, Eren almost ran out of the room in embarrassment. This time, he couldn’t help but be a little curious about what Levi was thinking. He couldn’t help his curiosity and definitely couldn’t help his attraction. Levi was dressed in the exact opposite of Eren, in an all-black suit. Eren was in plaid pajama bottoms that he’d managed to put on when he got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom after he’d fallen asleep in his work clothes. 

 

Levi looked at Eren with a bored expression. Eren took that as a challenge, as he often did. If he didn’t want to be bored, maybe Eren could help out with that. Eren’s nervousness was being replaced more and more with his sheer desire. Desire to know, desire to get a reaction out of Levi, and his desire for Levi himself. 

 

Eren stretched out with his arms above his head to loosen up his muscles—and to show off. His eyes shut involuntarily until he pried them open slightly in order to watch his superior.  
He wasn’t disappointed.

 

Levi let his eyes scan the young man’s bare torso. His actions always deliberate and careful. Eren knew that if Levi was looking, he didn’t care if Eren saw. In fact, it’d be better if he did. Levi never did anything he wasn’t sure of. This made Eren all the more interested. 

 

He opened his eyes fully and stared directly at the man across the room. Levi didn’t try and hide his gaze, just as Eren suspected. When they were alone, Eren noticed, Levi was content with flustering him by showing this other side of him. 

 

Levi smirked. “It seems your training is going well.” The upfront comment still surprised him a little even after a few weeks of letting the man get into his mind. 

 

“Glad you’ve noticed. I’m pretty damn sore.” Eren admitted. He wanted to play around more than he was, but he was waiting for what Levi might do. His boss tilted his head slightly.

 

“Good.” With that, Levi stood and walked up to Eren. Whenever Levi was close, Eren lost all of his gumption. Any sense of bravery he had slipped away the moment Levi entered his personal space. It was a painful hit to Eren’s plans.  
“If you’re trying to show off, I think you need to work harder.”

 

Levi pushed back his suit jacket then his fingers slowly went to his top button on his undershirt. Eren’s heart stopped the moment the top button slipped open. He couldn’t help the heat rushing all over his body each time Levi undid one of his buttons. He was sure he was probably drooling. After the last button slid open, Levi pulled one side of his shirt away from his body, showing off a portion of carved muscle. Eren had to stop himself from touching, or pulling the other side of his shirt away as well. He dug his fingernails into his mattress in order to keep them in place. Holding back was agony. 

Levi’s stomach showed off his strength and the defined muscles he had from years of working. Even just seeing a small section. Although Eren saw it in a professional goal kind of way, he also couldn’t help his red cheeks and wandering mind. Just this amount of exposed skin had his mind whirling. His eyes scanned from Levi’s hips all the way to meet his amused gaze. Eren didn’t mind walking right into his plan. He knew Levi enjoyed flustering him, but he couldn’t keep his strength. 

 

“That’s what you are working towards.” Levi turned to button his shirt back up and headed towards the door. “Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Eren ended up in this position a lot. His brain turned into a puddle and then he was expected to do something important. He stood up on weak legs and while Levi waited outside, put on some decent clothes.

 

“W-What about work?” Thankfully, Eren was able to understand some of the world around him. He remembered he was supposed to work today. 

 

“Don’t worry, I called you off.” Eren’s eyebrows raised at that. 

“You called me off?” 

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because we have work to do.”

“…But…”

“Shut it, Jaeger, I told your manager you had a meeting you couldn’t miss at the office today.” 

 

Eren did as he was told and accepted it. He couldn’t believe Levi called him off, but it wasn’t like he was complaining. Especially not with how he got to wake up today. Eren locked up the apartment behind them.

 

In the car, Eren unsuccessfully attempted to shove the events from his room out of his mind. Every time he looked at Levi, he pictured the alluring, teasing, gaze and posture he had while standing there with his shirt unbuttoned. Eren pinned him well from the beginning, he was great at playing both of those cards—teasing vs. strict boss. It was making Eren crazy. 

They drove through the city to the other end, the ‘bad’ side of town. This area was known for a higher crime rate. He’d heard about gang activity in some portions. The buildings were much older and more run down so there was never any reason to come here, at least for Eren. He cast an uncertain glance to Levi. As usual, he looked stoic as he stared ahead at the road. 

 

“Where are we headed?” Eren piped up, hoping they wouldn’t go into the thick of it all.

 

“Not much farther.” That wasn’t much information. 

 

Not before long, as expected from Levi’s comment, he said, “Here”.

 

Levi pulled over, parallel parking along the curb in front of one of the cleaner looking buildings in the area. It looked like a former office building. No one would have a business over here anymore. Not with all the robberies that have happened in the past. 

 

“Here?” Eren echoed. All around the car was vacant. Not a person in sight. It was like a ghost town. Every other building had vines growing on it, graffiti, or vandalized in some way. The only thing he could think of is if Levi meant one of the gangs Eren had heard about. That didn’t sit well. 

 

“Our next target.” Levi looked out his driver’s side window at the structure. “He should be leaving that door in just a minute.” Eren leaned forward in his seat to get a view of the door he referenced.  
He was getting let in on the next target? He hardly had any training yet. This felt fast to him, but maybe he trained by doing. Eren glanced at Levi who was still watching the door, waiting patiently. How Levi knew their guy would walk out of there in just a minute was beyond him. 

 

Sure enough, only a minute later, a large guy with blond hair walked out with a man and a woman trailing behind him. Eren narrowed his eyes and watched them walk to the parking lot next to the office building. A few took glances their way. Although the windows of the corvette were tinted, he still felt like they saw him. 

 

“Don’t we look suspicious?” Eren asked, watching their curious—and scary—looks. 

 

“It’s fine. They won’t do anything.” Levi assured him, still watching them as well. 

 

They got into two separate cars in the lot and without hesitation, sped off in the direction of the city. If Eren’s thoughts were correct, he’d imagine they wouldn’t want to be in the same place for very long. If this is where they did their dirty work they wouldn’t want their faces to be seen. 

 

“Do I get to know who they are?” Eren asked when Levi turned back to the wheel, getting ready to head out. Thankfully it was a short visit. 

 

“The blond guy, the one that was in the front, his name is Reiner and he’s their leader. The others don’t matter, they’re just henchmen. Reiner is the center of a crime organization. They do jobs for money, any kind of job and I mean that. They aren’t big and that makes them hard to pinpoint. Small groups like that have an easier time covering their tracks.” Eren took in all the information he could. He had no idea they took down people like this.

 

“How do we even get them?” It seemed like they were too dangerous to mess with. He knew the survey corps was good, but he didn’t know they messed with entire crime organizations. 

 

“We’ve got dirt on them. I have inside information that could have Reiner killed, either by his crew or I’ll keep that secret safe if he agrees to go to jail.” Levi turned the car around and they high tailed it out of the area. 

 

“…What happened? I mean, what’d he do to his team?” Eren was almost reluctant to ask. He was ready to get hit with ‘can’t tell you’ responses from Levi. He was probably pressing too much, but there were a lot of doors Levi was opening that Eren wanted to know more about. 

 

They hit a red light as soon as they made it to the edge of the good part of town,  
“It all comes back to money. Instead of divvying up the cash they earn equally, he keeps the majority to himself. That’s not going to sit well with the others. He wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of that one. After all, they are in it for the money, so if they aren’t getting it… well then they’ll make sure someone pays one way or another.” 

 

Eren sat and mulled it over. This was a more dangerous target than the last, although he had no idea of the rest of the survey corps’ history. Every time he trained or talked with a member, he learned something new. Often, it wasn’t a good something new. Levi spoke up again, changing the subject despite Eren’s growing pile of questions.

“Are you hungry?” That threw Eren for a loop.

 

“Am I what?” Eren gave him a confused look. The question blindsided him, he had to be sure that he heard Levi right. That was way off topic.

“Hungry, moron. Are you hungry?” He repeated himself, although he clearly didn’t want to. 

 

“Uh yeah I could eat, it’s lunch time right? Noonish?” Eren checked the clock to make sure he was around the right time-- 12:23, close enough. 

 

“Good, there’s a restaurant just up the road.” Eren froze. 

 

He’d never been out in public with Levi before. He felt his nerves kick up slightly thinking about the possibilities for failure, his least favorite thing especially in front of Levi. If that was a part of having a crush on someone, he could go without that.

 

“You’ve seriously never been here before?” Levi raised an eyebrow at his subordinate on the other side of the booth. 

 

“Am I failing some sort of test I didn’t know about? No, I haven’t.” Eren was on the defensive now.

The restaurant Levi chose was a small, family owned type of place. One of those one-of-a-kind places that can’t be found unless you already know about it. It was a modern type of place with soft music playing, dim lighting, and a neutral color scheme. Eren lived in this city his entire life and had never been here. To be fair, and to try and justify that, he did enjoy cooking himself much more than going out to eat.

 

“You have lived here your whole life.” Levi stated the obvious as though that won him this ‘argument’. 

 

“I prefer to cook for myself instead.” Eren didn’t mention the fact that he didn’t have all the funds in the world, but that was probably something Levi would have already considered.

 

“You can cook?” Eren was happy with his boss’ surprised reaction. He was hoping Levi was at least a little bit impressed. 

 

“I love to, actually. I learned to cook back when Mikasa and I stayed with our friend Armin as a way to give back for all his family did for us.” Eren clamped his mouth shut after he probably shared a little too much personal information.  
He didn’t want to be the one blabbering on the entire time either.

 

“I’m pleasantly surprised, Jaeger. If I would have known that, I would have just had you cook for me.” Levi leaned his elbow on the table, setting his chin into his palm. 

 

Eren wanted nothing more than to be back in his apartment at that moment. He probably showed his emotion clearly on his face. Levi could do anything and Eren would find it attractive, but what just happened made his face heat up. The look in his eye and his posture while he spoke made Eren forget where they were.  
A new mental note- cook for Levi.  
With a deep breath, he pulled himself together. 

 

“Well then maybe I’ll have to some time.” Eren tried to mimic his demeanor, a smirk playing on his lips and his arms crossed leaning on the table. He didn’t shy away from the closer proximity. He was proud of himself for that. Levi wasn’t going to be the only one that could play this game. At least that’s what he kept trying to tell himself.

 

“Hello guys, my name is Ange and I’ll be your server. What can I get you two to drink?” The waitress’ question jolted Eren out of their moment, sadly. His disappointment was hard to hide. 

 

“Two waters.” Levi ordered for him. 

 

When the waitress left to get their drinks, he explained himself, “You need to not eat like shit if this training is going to do anything for you. I would order a coffee, but I feel the need to set an example.” His face at that moment looked almost like he regretted not getting that coffee. 

 

She came back and set their waters down. Levi immediately ordered their food for them. Eren knew he said it was so that he didn’t eat like shit… but to Eren, that was what some people did when they went out together. He tried his best not to read too far into it.

 

Levi took a sip of his water and frowned. 

 

“Seems like you needed that coffee.” Eren pointed out.

 

“I did. Especially with what’s about to happen. Listen, do not say a word. Nod if you understand and you don’t want a guy to rip your limbs off.” Levi’s voice lowered. 

 

Eren did as he said and nodded, confused with a hint of fear. He watched as Levi sat back, relaxing his posture, taking a calm sip of his water. How could he rile Eren up like that and then act like nothing happened? Their food arrived rather quickly after that. Eren was so on edge about what Levi had said that when their waitress set their food down it made him jump. As soon as he smelled his food, though, he felt how hungry he was. The two began eating, Eren a bit more hastily than his boss. Levi stayed reserved and scanned the small restaurant for something.

 

Only a few bites in, Eren watched Levi set his fork down. The simple gesture had Eren on high alert. He figured it meant something was going on and assumed it was related to Levi’s warning. Eren watched over what he could see of the place, though his back was to the door. 

 

“Levi Ackerman.” A deep voice behind Eren made him freeze. This had to be what Levi was talking about, and kept his mouth shut. He didn’t even want to turn to look and see. The inflection in the voice sounded like someone seeing an old friend for the first time in a while.

 

He didn’t realize they were going to have company here. Eren’s annoying brain let him believe Levi was just inviting him out for a lunch. There he went reading into things again. Levi might toy with him, but the job came first. It was probably turning into some sort of business meeting. 

 

“Reiner.” Levi said curtly back.

 

Eren’s heart picked up its pace hearing Levi say that one word. Reiner. If he remembered correctly, that was their next target… How did Levi know he’d be here? How did this guy know Levi? He watched the two exchange words and tried to connect anything together, but nothing made sense. His attention darted between the blond man and his boss.

 

“It’s been a while.” Reiner grinned mischievously. There was something between them that Eren didn’t understand. It was clear they knew each other a long time ago. But how was the question Eren didn’t really want to have answered.  
The conversation continued, barely, with Levi’s short answers. Greetings, mostly. Questions about what he has been up to and small talk like that. Levi wasn’t letting him in at all. Strange for someone that seemed to see him as an equal, a friend maybe even. 

 

“Who’s this?” When the conversation directed towards Eren, he had to try not to show his fear. This guy could probably smell it. Eren lifted his gaze to Levi, who met his eye, then Eren locked eyes with Reiner. Abiding by Levi’s orders, Eren didn’t say a word.

 

“He’s my subordinate. That’s all you need to know.” Levi’s words grabbed Reiner’s attention again. 

 

“Ahh… I would have just suspected you two are on a date here.” Reiner chuckled at his own words. Eren wouldn’t even call it a joke. His blood boiled at the snide comment. 

 

“It wouldn’t concern you if it was.” Levi dismissed his rude words and yet didn’t dismiss that this could be a date all in one sentence. 

 

For a moment, Eren didn’t care about Reiner at all. All he cared about was that one sentence. Levi’s careful word choice let Eren’s hopes rise. But that didn’t last long. The conversation took an even stranger turn. At Reiner’s next comment, Eren wouldn’t remember the previous sentence anymore. 

 

After a few other comments, Reiner leaned in closer to Levi, “The underground misses your prowess.” He said in a quieter tone. There was a pause.

Reiner was obviously trying to mess with him.

 

“Does it?” Levi replied in his monotone, bored voice. Eren looked at Levi in utter shock. 

 

The final pieces were being put together now. Eren’s confused alarm melted into knowing disappointment. Somehow he blocked out the two men in front of him. He couldn’t think of anything else.

His mind placed him back in that house from weeks ago, the dangerous criminal smirking at his fear and threatening him. Eren recalled his utter disbelief in himself when he realized shortly after meeting him, he was attracted to this criminal. He remembered the relief he felt standing with Petra as she explained that they actually worked to catch criminals. It was the most confused relief he’d ever felt. Levi was the leader of their Survey Corps squad, he turned out to really be one of the good guys. His heart soared. 

 

“There’s no one like you anymore. Everyone’s sloppy and unprofessional.” Reiner commented, standing straighter now. Their target’s eyes swept the restaurant, making sure no one was watching their interaction. He was trying to look the least suspicious possible. Levi’s gaze stayed on Eren instead of the man talking to him. Eren found the strength in his anger to look back at him. 

 

But his heart sank now. Looking at the man across from him felt like looking at a stranger. This couldn’t be true. Levi had worked side by side with the very people he takes down. Eren’s self-righteousness pushed past any other thoughts. His strong sense of right and wrong fueled his negative feelings. He couldn’t believe his own boss used to be a criminal… or maybe he still was. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not leave the restaurant right there. 

 

There was no comparison to the betrayal he felt. Levi knew all along how Eren felt about doing the wrong thing, he fought against it every chance he got. Yet there was his boss with a dark secret lurking behind he knew Eren wouldn’t approve of. The more he thought, the angrier he became. Levi just let Eren fall for him, he continued toying with him knowing how Eren would feel. Eren’s hands balled into tight fists at his sides. 

 

Levi really was the bad guy Eren once feared that he was. His insides tightened thinking of all the terrible things Levi had probably done--his ‘prowess’, as Reiner would call it.

 

“Mm” was Levi’s only response. 

 

“We’ll have to catch up soon. I have places to be.” With that, Reiner left. Thankfully. But not after the damage had been done. 

 

Eren’s face displayed every emotion he was feeling, and as he always does, Levi knew exactly what he was thinking.

 

“Another time.” Levi dismissed all of the questions churning in his head. 

 

He clenched his teeth tight, trying not to explode. He stared down at the food he didn’t finish and wasn’t hungry for. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Levi continue eating. The world felt heavy. Everything felt like it was rushing past and he had no control.

 

“You’d better eat a little more, I am paying.” Levi, again, dismissed what was going on like nothing happened. Eren wanted to scream and yell and run out of the place. But he didn’t. 

 

He looked up at Levi with so much emotion in his deep ocean green eyes that Levi stopped in his tracks, slight shock appearing on his features. Eren scowled before once again averting his eyes from his boss. Reluctantly, he took a few more bites of food.  
It just tasted bland. 

 

Finally, the check came and Levi took care of it all without Eren saying a word. He couldn’t if he started, he wouldn’t stop. He also didn’t even know where he would even begin. There was so much going through his mind there’s no way he would form any coherent sentences. 

 

Eren couldn’t be bothered to worry if it was awkward or not, not talking the whole car ride back to his apartment. His eyes were glued to the window, not daring to move. That thick feeling of dread sat in his gut. Levi didn’t try to speak either. Eren made it obvious that talking wasn’t really an option. 

 

When he pulled into the lot, Eren didn’t waste any time jumping out and slamming the door behind him. 

 

The stairs reminded him how sore he was as well. There were only a few more moments of openly showing his physical pain before he made it into his apartment and would have to hide all traces of it. The stairs had been more difficult than he ever thought they could be. He took a breath, he’d also have to hide his anger in front of Mikasa because she would surely not let it go if she thought something was really wrong. 

 

“Hey Mikasa!” Immediately, Eren straightened up to normal, clenching his teeth together right after the exclamation. He pushed away all the negativity, trying to focus on what was in front of him, not what happened.

 

Eren looked at a not-so-amused looking Mikasa who stood up from the couch. His heart sank at her expression. This attempting to push past the negative feelings for now would be hard when he was now going to be in a bad situation here.

 

“Eren, why weren’t you at work? I stopped by after my shift and Marco said you called off. Well, your boss did.” She folded her arms. Eren couldn’t stop the uneasiness creeping up. 

 

He knew she was already unsure about the situation, but this was sending it over the edge. She’d always been a protective person and it was just Eren’s luck she’s also extremely smart. Her ‘something isn’t right’ radar was going off. 

 

“I had a meeting at my internship that I couldn’t miss.” Eren said, just repeating what Levi told Marco.

 

“I heard that. What was it that was so important?” She hadn’t even let him get to the couch and standing was hard on his limbs. Eren felt like everything was falling apart- his body and his life. 

 

“I… It was about the project they have coming up and if I missed it I could have lost the internship, it’s really serious.” Eren tried to ignore his sweaty palms and racing heart. 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Her face shifted slightly from annoyance to disappointment. 

 

That made Eren feel like crap. He knew she just wanted to be involved in his life just as he wants to be in hers. They had always been super close. He never intended for this to come between them, but being a member of the survey corps took up more time than he anticipated. Having to keep it a secret also did a number on their relationship even if Mikasa didn’t know about it. Eren could feel the tension in the room nowadays from before he joined, on edge about the presence of Levi around, up until now with the weight of what he had to keep from his only sister. Today just was not good at all.

 

“To be honest, I didn’t know it was happening. My boss called Marco and then called me.” Whenever he could slide the truth in, he would. He had started making a habit of that to make everything go smoother. And to feel like he wasn’t completely going behind her back.

 

“You didn’t know it was happening? That seems really strange.” She kept her closed-off stance.

 

“I know, it was. I don’t know why I didn’t hear about it until today, to be honest. Maybe just because I’m the new guy.” Eren rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and avoided Mikasa’s eye momentarily. 

 

“Well, I hope they give you notice next time, new guy or not.” 

 

She stopped then and they moved the conversation on to dinner and things felt a little better for a while. It was nice. They talked mostly about work, Armin, and plans for the future. A silent sigh of relief left his body. For the first time in hours the tension was able to release in his body. The events today did a number on him, mostly mentally. He just wanted to go to bed. 

 

He didn’t know what the next days would be like. All he knew was that he looked forward to sleeping tonight and forgetting what went on today for some time.


	8. Problems and Solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is still beat up over what he learned about Levi's past.   
> He has to find it in him to talk it out and brave the possible outcomes of this confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've returned! Thank you for being patient! And for all the awesome comments, glad you're all having as much fun as me it seems! I appreciate it sooo much!  
> Also sorry for my inconsistent formatting I can't seem to find out what I prefer best... as this is my first story!  
> Anyways yeah so school plus I've just gotten a job so writing is hard to fit in but I've done it!  
> This chapter also needed a lot of working and rereading, I tried to get it as perfect as possible... I'm kind of obsessed with it but I hope you all like it!  
> This one gets prettyyy exciting for many reasons! 
> 
> [ (; ]
> 
> Disclaimer again- I've stated this before but again I'm just here to tell you all a fun story so I'm sorry if there are any little mistakes! I hope you can forgive me )': <3 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay rambling is over, Enjoy! Ahh I'm so excited! haha

Chapter 8: 

 

Sleeping was difficult that night. It was never easy sleeping on a troubled mind and Eren’s was definitely having trouble. Between what went on with Levi and then Mikasa’s speculative interrogation just after… He was tossing and turning with the amount of emotions raging. He was way too wired for his body to relax. He thought of things he should have said, should have done, and barely got a few hours of rest. The words wouldn’t stop.

The only people he’d had to deal with in a while had been Mikasa, Armin, and people at his work. He’d forgotten what these emotions felt like, not to mention how bad they really felt. His chest felt heavy since then. Disappointment was hard to carry. Eren was notorious for two things: having high standards and not tolerating anyone doing the wrong thing.

It had never come into question before now. 

Anyone that conflicted with his ideals didn’t matter.  
Until now. 

Someone that didn’t abide by his moral standard was someone he didn’t want to be around.  
Until him.

 

“You look like hell.” She never was one to sugar coat things… “Are you alright? Maybe you should call off…” Mikasa watched her zombie-like brother meander into the kitchen, his eyes barely open. 

 

Calling off wouldn’t make him feel any better. As tired as he was, he needed to be doing something, not just laying around with time to think. His way to deal with life was by distraction and routine. He lazily poured a bowl of cereal, a few pieces missing and landing on the counter.

 

“No, I’m okay. I’m just a little tired.” A fitting yawn followed his statement. 

 

“Are you sure…? I mean I’ve seen you tired, but…” She walked up to him to feel his forehead. “You don’t have a fever so that’s good.” She backed up and gave him a once over. 

 

Eren was hunched over in his pajamas, cereal bowl in hand, hair stuck up like a porcupine. Dismissing her last question of concern, he grabbed a spoon from the drawer and went to leave the kitchen when Mikasa stopped him again.

 

“Eren… Are you positive you’re alright?” She asked for the third time, looking even more concerned. He was just trying to eat his cereal, what was the big deal?

 

“Yeah I’m sure, why? Do I look that bad or something?” He didn’t even check his appearance in the mirror, it never mattered he only lived with his sister. He didn’t understand why she was fussing so much today. 

 

“No, it’s just that… You’re about to eat cereal with a fork.” She traded Eren, giving him a spoon and putting the not-dirtied fork back. He looked at his hand that now held the spoon and shook his head.

 

“Well I obviously see why you’re worried, but I’m okay. I’m just having a rough morning that’s all. It’ll get better I’m sure.”

 

She still looked concerned and he didn’t seem convincing. He knew she’d be worried about him all day unless he shaped up somehow. Today would just be a hard day, he could already feel it. 

Once he began eating, she left to hop in the shower. 

 

Slowly and steadily he got ready for work, double and triple checking everything. He couldn’t afford to have another fork incident at this point or something would happen--he’d forget his keys, Mikasa wouldn’t let him leave, he’d cause a problem at work… something. Everything he needed for his shift was set out. There were only a few other moments he had been so careful like this.

The time he had to watch the class pet came to mind. Also, when he was in charge of keeping all the papers in the biggest group project he’d ever had in high school. 

 

“Alright, Eren, I’m headed out. Have a good day!” Mikasa stopped by his bedroom door before leaving for work herself. 

 

“See you later, Mikasa. I hope work goes well.” He smiled and hoped that his organized display of items showed her that he was okay, even though his mind was still a mess.  
It ended up working. She left and now Eren had to keep checking to make sure his shirt wasn’t inside out. 

 

Every moment he wasn’t thinking about what to do next, the conversations from yesterday echoed in his head. Immediately upon noticing when he started thinking of that, he threw himself at another task. After getting ready, he had a little bit of time before he needed to head downstairs yet, so there he was cleaning the microwave. 

 

When he finally was able to go to work without being too early, he was grateful. He left even though he had ten minutes before his shift. That’s exactly what he needed. Grabbing his keys, he flew out of the apartment and down the stairs. 

 

“Good morning!” Sasha was working today and greeted Eren with a big smile. He returned the gesture. Thank goodness she was on today or Eren might have pulled his hair out. 

 

“Hey Sasha. How’s today treating you?” Eren asked, putting on his apron and getting right to work scrubbing down the tables.

 

“Pretty decent I have to say.” She was getting the register up and running while counting the money to make sure it was the correct amount to start the day. 

 

“Good to hear.” Eren was genuinely glad to hear that from his friend. “Today feels like it’s already been long for me.” He admitted. 

 

“I hate days like that. Maybe once everything picks up and you get into the swing of things the day will get brighter!” He could normally count on Sasha to somehow make the day better. She was good at one of three things every day—being positive, being funny, or using her bad mood to sympathize with others. 

 

“Yeah… You’re probably right.” He was able to produce a small smile while he finished the last tabletop. 

 

Eren, on cleaning duty, was happily distracted the majority of work. Only a few times he found himself thinking of yesterday, an ache gripping his chest. Every time there was one small thought about Levi that heavy feeling in his stomach returned. When that happened, he made sure to find another random thing to clean.

 

“Eren?” Connie came up to his coworker. His tone was similar to Mikasa’s this morning. That wasn’t a good sign.

 

“Yeah, Connie?” Eren looked up from his task.

 

“You… You know you’ve been cleaning that napkin dispenser for ten minutes, right?” Eren looked down in his hands. He had hardly noticed. The plastic napkin holder was at least now spotless.

 

Eren sighed, “Thanks, Con. Sorry, today’s been a weird day.” He set it down and faced Connie.

 

“S’all good, dude. Just making sure you’re doin’ okay!” Connie walked off after that, needing to be back on register. He was a good guy.

 

Eren needed to get himself together. He knew there would more than likely be a couple moments where he was a little out of it, but to be cleaning a napkin dispenser for ten minutes-- Clearly something was up. There was no way to justify that. He stood there a few moments, trying to decide what to do next.

 

“Um excuse me? I’m sorry, my son just spilled his drink…” A mother came up to Eren while he was mid-thought and pointed towards what was clearly the problem. At the end of her pointer finger, a small boy with teary eyes had a wet table in front of him and a glass on its side.

 

“No problem at all, I’ve got it taken care of!” Eren put on his customer service voice and went to work on the mess. It definitely could have been a lot worse. 

The worst part of the mess was the little kid so worked up about it. While Eren was wiping up the spill, the mom tried to console the pouting boy. She repeated to him that she would just buy him another, but it was no use. He obviously thought he killed this one or something. He probably would forget about the entire incident as soon as another tasty treat was put in front of him.

 

The mother thanked Eren and he gave a happy, “Of course, don’t worry about it!” 

 

She ended up hopping back in line to buy something else for her kid.   
Eren sighed and grabbed a mop to wipe up the floor behind the counter. 

 

“That was a fiasco.” Connie said as he was making someone else’s sandwich. 

 

“A little bit, yeah.” Eren wasn’t able to get into any conversation. He was tired and not in a good mood. He tried and would keep trying, but he felt so out of it. It felt like there was a wall between him and everyone else. 

 

“Kids can be cute sometimes then they turn into that like the flip of a switch.” Connie placed the finished plate up on the counter, ready for the customer to pick it up.

 

Eren pushed out a chuckle, “That’s very true.” He knew his voice and answers were lack luster. He had no idea how to make it any better. Words weren’t happening. His mind couldn’t come up with anything better. 

 

It had been a while since something ate away at him this bad. He thought he was doing better handling his emotions and not letting them take control. But yet again he let something get to him. Sweeping the floor as he thought, Eren couldn’t stop himself from bringing up the memories of yesterday. He’d been doing well with keeping them out of the picture until this moment. Things easily disturbed him and whatever he was feeling was what he expressed. He had trouble separating from it. 

It all lead back to the fact that he liked Levi. The only reason it bothered him so much was because of that, if Levi meant nothing to him, he wouldn’t be bothered nearly as much.  
Since when was that supposed to be such torture?

 

Eren walked out of the front door of the bookstore, his shoulders slumped. He was exhausted. A shiver ran through him at the sudden temperature drop from inside to outside. Today wasn’t even the most hours he’d ever worked, but it sure felt like it. Sleep was the only thing he could think of.

 

He stopped dead in his tracks before the base of the stairs, a weird feeling seeping into his heart. Levi’s car was parked where it always was, in the spot facing the road and directly across from the biggest window that Eren always looked out of. How could he have missed that? Eren always noticed when Levi pulled in or was parked there. 

 

Eren didn’t think Levi was going to come today. Part of him wanted to open the car door and demand to know what was going on, the other part couldn’t even think of talking to him. He simultaneously wanted to see his face and didn’t at the same time. The lights on outside the bookstore suddenly felt like a spotlight. Decision-making had never been harder than it had recently. 

His hand tightened on the metal railing and he tapped his foot a few times debating what to do. The thought of getting into his car made his stomach feel heavy. The disappointment was still so fresh. He shut his eyes tight and grit his teeth together.   
In a split second, Eren dashed up the stairs to his apartment. 

 

When he shut the door he heard the engine of a car rev up and speed away. He leaned his back against the door, his head tilting back to rest on it. He took a few breaths, threw his keys onto the floor, and then slumped his head into his hands. This feeling was torture. But he didn’t want to see Levi right now. He couldn’t do it. 

He just needed to sleep right now. 

 

Sleep. Eat. Work. Eat. Sleep.

 

He didn’t realize how stuck in a rut he was until there were two days he had no training, no random interruptions or visits, and no survey corps member kidnapping him. Just regular work. The feelings were dulled after a day. He still was disappointed and frustrated, but it wasn’t as soul crushing. He felt like he was in a numb trance. Not overbearingly angry, not completely better. Calm. That was close to what it was. He was able to sleep somewhat after agonizing over how he stood Levi up. He needed to, nothing would have gotten solved in his emotional state.

That was probably his guilt talking. 

Truthfully, Eren was too distraught to do anything, so he just avoided it like he did everything that night—including the laundry he promised himself he’d do. He could reason with his decision all he wanted, but that was definitely closer to the truth than the former.

 

Work went better than the previous day. He didn’t try to eat cereal with a fork and didn’t clean a napkin dispenser for ten minutes so he considered it a success. Sasha had worked with him, and unfortunately so did Jean. But, Eren had to hand it to Jean he was a great distraction and outlet. They bickered just enough that it kept Eren occupied. 

Jean purposefully knocked his broom over from where it was leaned against the wall while Eren wiped off a table covered in a sticky substance resembling mustard. That caused Eren to smack Jean in the shin with the broom after he had to pick it up off of the floor. That was just one instance of his coworker’s incessant annoying behaviors. 

Ending the day with minimal spills and one stain on his shirt, Eren hung up his apron. 

“Well that went better than I expected.” Eren said out loud to any one of his friends listening. 

 

“Even though you lost your broom there and everyone looked up at the crash?” Jean chuckled to himself as he smirked at his own joke. 

 

“What a comedian. I’m sure you’ll be this happy when you see the bruise I left you.” Eren spat back. 

 

“Sure, you barely touched me because Marco looked over at us.” 

 

“Just you wait, Kirstein.” 

 

Marco broke up their bickering, “I’m never scheduling you two on the same day again, I swear.” He shook his head as he went to lock up.

 

“That’s my dream.” Eren was quicker than Jean to make a remark. That made the entire day worth it. Jean just made a face at him and flipped him off while Marco was at the front of the bookstore. 

Eren waited to help Marco sort things out in the back room a bit. The place was a disaster back here after a day of taking things out and putting things away. Storage boxes were put back in the wrong place in a hurry to find more paper towels or some other item staff ran out of. 

 

“Thanks for the extra help Eren, I know it’s getting pretty late.” His boss was sincere as always.

 

“No big deal at all, I’m happy to help.” More like happy to keep busy. Although he was usually the one to volunteer to stay later. 

 

“I’ll finish up this last part myself, it’s only a little bit more.” Marco stopped what he was doing to look at Eren. 

 

“Are you sure? I can definitely stay to help you.” Eren offered honestly. 

 

Marco looked like he debated it for a moment before saying, “No, thank you though, I’ve kept you over enough.” Eren looked at the time, he had actually stayed a half hour after his shift ended. It just flew by. 

 

“Oh. I didn’t know it had been that long to be honest. Well, Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Eren left then, which turned out to be way after the others. It was only him and Marco left in the store, as per usual. Marco always stayed late, that was guaranteed. He was a really dedicated worker. Eren appreciated how genuine of a person he was, so he enjoyed helping his boss.  
When he got out of the door he turned towards the stairs before a voice made him jump.

 

“Eren?” At the sound of his name, Eren turned to see Petra standing there, uncertain.

 

“Petra? What are you doing here?” He straightened up after being thrown off guard. This was highly unexpected.

 

“Well you haven’t been around in a while when you should be training every day and… Levi said you didn’t want to go with him when he was here yesterday. Can we talk?” She looked concerned almost. He didn’t understand. How much was she aware of? 

 

“Um… Yeah I guess so, what’s going on?” After Eren agreed to talk with Petra, they sat on the end of the stairs that led up to his apartment.

 

“That’s what I’m asking you” she said, “What happened with you and Levi?” She looked straight at Eren while she spoke, not wavering slightly. “He hasn’t been acting right since you two were together.” Eren perked up at that comment. There was no way that wouldn’t have caught his attention. That had to mean something. It really had affected him?

 

“Uhh…” Eren stuttered, unsure of how to go about this explanation. What if she didn’t know? 

 

“Is it about Levi’s past?” She prompted carefully. Eren’s eyes snapped straight to hers. So she did know.

 

“You know about it?”

 

“Everyone in the survey corps does” she prefaced, “Levi mentioned it might have something to do with that, but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it further… I was a bit worried you might not be happy with the information, knowing how you are.” Petra looked sympathetic. 

He thought she would be confused about his emotions, but she was more perceptive than he expected. It shouldn’t be a surprise, after all, he was researched on by them before he knew they existed because he just lived around the house of a person they were investigating. More than likely she knew a lot more than he thought she did. 

 

“Yeah… It’s a tough thing for me to handle.” Eren didn’t bother with long winded answers, he didn’t want to overwhelm Petra with a meltdown. “I found out when he talked to Reiner two days ago.” Eren looked at his hands.   
He hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about it since it happened. If it’s one thing Eren had trouble with, it wasn’t running his mouth, especially when something bothersome was happening. When he got upset by something, he could jabber on about it easily. Most of the time. All his philosophies start to slip away once Levi is in the picture.

 

“He’s not like that anymore, you know” Petra reassured. 

Eren chewed on his lower lip, trying to be open about what she was saying. She didn’t know how many times he had tried to convince himself of that, but his worry was greater than his reason. Mind of matter didn’t work here. 

 

“But… I don’t think it’s my place to discuss this with you.” She told him honestly. Eren sighed, shoulders slumping. He wished she would just tell him what he wanted to know. 

 

“I guess you’re right.” There was a pause there.

 

Eren looked at Petra. For the first time, she wasn’t looking directly at him, but just out towards the road. This part of town was quiet at night. The only sound between them right now was the buzz of the lights and distant vehicles still speeding around the city a few miles away. He dropped his head back down from looking at his team member. His plan was that the forlorn look in his eye would persuade her to tell him more. That didn’t work out so well. He studied his shoes for a moment, trying to think of what to do next.

 

He picked up his head to mimic Petra’s gaze to wait for her to say something and his heart stopped. 

The all too familiar corvette that belonged to the subject of Eren and Petra’s conversation was parked in the lot, in its usual place. Petra had sufficiently distracted him from a pretty important bit of information. Why she hadn’t said anything was beyond him… It was probably because she wanted him to go and do it himself. 

 

“Where is he?” Eren asked, breaking their short silence. He felt the nervous hum of his heart begin. 

 

With a small sigh Petra replied, “Upstairs”. 

 

Eren stood up and let out a deep breath. He didn’t need to say anything to Petra, she knew where he was headed. That was the whole point of her being there. She was just there to act as a mediator, to get Eren to think rationally. 

 

As he headed up the stairs, his mind went over the things he wanted to bring up. He sifted through each point multiple times to be sure to remember them. Even though he was nervous, he still wanted to be told everything—the truth and all of it. 

 

He needed to bring up what happened before the Survey Corps, who Levi is now, why wasn’t Eren told, are there any other deep secrets within the survey corps he needed to know, and why wasn’t he told.

 

He knew there were two worrisome outcomes of this conversation: Getting information about Levi that he wouldn’t be able to look past, or not seeing Levi again. That was the worst part, the possibility for a bad ending. He wasn’t going to let himself be a coward this time. Levi melted Eren’s resolve whenever he was around, but that wouldn’t happen this time. He needed to know these things in order to continue on with things as normal, or what was normal nowadays. 

 

The strongest reason had nothing to do with any of that, though. Eren’s mind had been switching between war and peace constantly since he met Levi. It had been the most confusing and intense emotional rollercoaster he’d been on in a long time. And he couldn’t help but be sick of it-- fighting between his feelings for Levi and his morals/way of life. Changing who you are doesn’t happen at the drop of a hat. Eren knew that depending on this conversation, maybe it couldn’t happen at all.

 

He had been stalling long enough, standing at his front door twisting his key between his fingers.

 

In a swift movement, Eren threw the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind him loud enough for Levi to hear so that he would be expected. He headed towards the bedroom in nothing near a hurry, knowing that’s where his boss would be. 

 

Eren hardly let himself hesitate before he opened the door to see Levi standing with his back facing him, suit jacket draped onto his shoulders. There was no denying that was one of his favorite sights and his heart reminded him with an increase in pace. He had no idea what to say, no idea what to start with. The sight of him made Eren’s feet stop in their tracks right in the doorway, he was more lost for words than ever. 

 

“Shut the door.” When Eren heard Levi’s voice his eyes widened, heart thumping a different rhythm hearing him speak again. He just stared at his back.

 

When he didn’t move, Levi turned and looked straight at the open-mouthed man standing in front of the open door. It felt like slow motion, seeing Levi look at him. It reminded Eren of the first time he’d ever seen Levi’s face, looking back at him in that stranger’s house and having the same reaction. Eren was stuck in his strong gaze. His breath caught in his throat looking into his steel eyes. Levi’s hard features softened when his eyes landed on Eren. It was a noticeable change that sent hope through Eren’s chest. The two stood there a moment, unmoving, before Eren awkwardly shut the door without taking his eyes off of Levi.

 

Moving into the room, Eren stepped past Levi to sit on his bed. He looked up at the other man in the room with wide eyes. Every movement was careful and slow as if moving too abruptly could shatter the air. Seeing him softened his emotions, for once. It was like seeing him made all the problems go away. He almost didn’t want to bring up the bad feelings—almost. 

 

“You can come sit, if you want” Eren invited softly. He left a large space beside him, taking up only a small area in hops that Levi would take the option to sit beside him. He felt like if he didn’t leave at least two people’s sitting space between them, his boss would opt for the chair across the room. Levi’s arms unfolded from across his chest, his closed off nature dissolving at Eren’s invitation.

 

Levi took the offer and sat on the bed, as he hoped, and draped his dark grey suit jacket over the bed frame.

 

“You know why I’m here.” Levi stated plainly. He hadn’t looked back at Eren yet since sitting down. But, Eren wasn’t any better, intently staring at his hands clasped in his lap. He was concentrating most out of the corner of his eye, waiting for any movement from Levi. 

 

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to be the one to bring up what happened. Thinking back on his talk with Petra had him holding his tongue, waiting for Levi to approach it. 

 

“We have things to talk about” He was acting very much like the boss he was.

 

“There’s a lot to talk about” Eren agreed. He was counting the things on his list again.

 

“It’s because you’re acting like a kid and ignoring me.” Eren felt the sting of that one. He had known to expect some backlash. 

 

“I’m not acting like a kid.” That rubbed Eren the wrong way. 

 

“You ignored me yesterday instead of talking to me.” Levi deadpanned, the answer obvious to him, someone who is much more in control of themselves. “I don’t know what you’d call it.” 

 

“It’s not like there wasn’t a reason for it” Eren defended. The scene from the restaurant played once again in his head. 

 

“Running away doesn’t help anything.” Levi’s voice was firm. “Avoiding your problems is the opposite of helpful.” 

 

“I wasn’t running away” He countered, “I didn’t want to talk… At least not then. Everything was too fresh.”

 

He was forced to not speak and just accept what was happening that day. Levi knew how Eren felt about people that had no remorse for wrongdoing and there he was, pinned between a criminal and a boss he hardly even knew—someone he had feelings for that he didn’t even know anymore. Every moment he was left in the dark his frustration grew. This is what he’s based his life on—fighting against these people. And he was left thinking that the first time he’d fallen for someone, he’d fallen for one of them.

 

“I put you in that situation on purpose so that would come to light. What was I supposed to do, ‘Hey Jaeger by the way I was picked up from the streets to join the survey corps’?” Levi turned to him then, Eren meeting his eyes. “That I was a criminal, the very thing you hate?” The emotion was building within Eren listening to Levi speak. Everything he’d been feeling was beginning to spill over. 

 

“I don’t know!” Eren stood up, taking a few steps and throwing his hands in the air in frustration. “I don’t know.” Eren kept his back to his bed. His shoulders slumped in defeat. 

 

“That’s not exactly the best opening line to get someone to stay in the organization.” Levi sounded somewhat dejected at that statement.   
“To get you to stay.”

 

“I just wish I hadn’t needed to hear it at all.” Eren admitted. He wished Levi never would have been a criminal.  
Levi’s words were passing right through him, he was too focused on what he was going to say next. 

 

“Well I can’t change what’s already happened. My past is my past” Levi said darkly. 

 

“I know…” Eren frowned, “But maybe I could have been informed in a better way where I wasn’t put on the spot to hear something I never wanted to be told in the first place. You ‘told’ me by having a former henchman of some sort lure me into figuring it out myself.” He furrowed his brows in frustration. 

 

“You were going to need to know somehow.” It almost felt like Levi was disappointed, but his comment only fueled Eren’s emotions. 

 

“Still! It’s like… It’s like you knew how I’d feel and I was in the dark the whole time. I don’t get it. Doesn’t that matter? I started out thinking you were a criminal and I was so angry with myself…” Eren let his words die out, sensing he was saying too much, but his mind poured more nonsense out. He paced towards and away from the bed slightly as he spoke,   
“When I found out you weren’t… When I found out about the survey corps… Everything made sense again, I wasn’t beating myself up over it. I didn’t have to fight my mind over what I was feeling. And then it happened all over again only worse. It was for real, right in front of me.” He turned back toward the bed, “Everyone knew this secret when I needed to know the most… You let me… You let me fall for you and I had to fight myself all over again I had to—“

Eren was cut off mid-sentence, hands grabbing his face, lips pressing against his.

His startled eyes slowly closed into the feeling. He felt like his whole body was on fire, electricity filled his veins. Nothing had ever felt as invigorating as this. As quick as it came, Eren’s lips were vacant again and he opened his green eyes to see Levi in front of him, eyes unwavering from his face. 

 

“L--…” Eren started to speak, but his vocal cords wouldn’t work. 

 

Levi studied Eren’s shocked expression. 

 

“You were hardly listening to me, Jaeger. Use your damn ears.” Eren was struggling to stay on his feet even at this point, let alone process more words.   
“Do you think I’m happy about the past?” He asked sincerely.

Eren didn’t speak and that proved to be the best decision, Levi began telling him everything he wanted to hear.

“I’m not proud of the things I did, but I wouldn’t change it either. I’m here now because of that. I did what I had to do to make a living, Eren, I didn’t enjoy it. I was on my own” Levi looked him in the eyes to make sure he was absorbing this information,  
“A man named Erwin Smith, the director of the entire Survey Corps, saw what I guess was potential in his eyes somehow and dragged me here.” Levi pulled out the key to headquarters from under his shirt. "I was a useful ally, I had connections to other criminals and I knew how to think like one so in turn, he figured I’d be able to catch them.”

Eren just stared at Levi, entranced by his story. His negative feelings subsided with every word. Again he felt relief. 

 

“I didn’t want to tell you because I knew what your reaction would be. I wanted you to stay. But I had no other choice since Reiner was our next target, you would have found out sooner or later that he knew me. There would have been even more questions.”

 

“I… Thank you.” Eren finally said after holding back from tugging Levi into his arms. 

 

“If you would have paid any attention to where that was going earlier you would have noted a lot of answers to your frustrations.” Levi raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Well I uh, was a little worked up.” Eren rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and pulled a ‘sorry-I-was-an-emotional-wreck-two-minutes-ago’ smile. Levi smirked at that and made Eren melt. 

 

“That much was obvious. But, it wasn’t uncalled for. I understand.” 

 

Levi’s recognition for Eren’s feelings was enough to make him want to kiss him. The thought sent him back a few minutes and he visibly froze up. 

 

Levi had kissed him. 

 

While Eren recalled the interaction, Levi narrowed his eyes at his subordinate who was now acting very weird. 

 

“Jaeger?” Levi snapped him out of it. 

 

Involuntarily, in the midst of his thoughts, Eren’s fingers reached up to touch his lips, and he lifted his line of sight back to the man in front of him. 

 

“Oh, that.” Levi’s smirk widened. “I thought it was obvious, Eren.” His voice took on a hint of the smooth tone that sent Eren into a whirlwind. “But perhaps that’s something you’ll just have to pay closer attention to. That’s a skill you have been lacking.” Levi picked up his jacket from Eren’s bed and headed to the door. 

 

He stopped once he was beside the younger man and stretched up to place a kiss on his jawline right by his ear. Eren shuddered and turned just in time to watch Levi disappear from his sight.

 

The slam of the door told him that Levi had left. He spent too long staring after the open doorway. Thinking of the empty apartment reminded him he was lucky Mikasa had a late shift at work tonight. Back in reality now, Eren checked the time, she’d be home in just a few minutes. 

 

He had no idea how Levi did that. 

 

Eren, with the kiss on his mind, tried to go about his normal routine and began making dinner. Things simultaneously got better and more complicated. 

Sounds about right.


	9. Beginner's luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets to join in on a serious meeting about the upcoming mission.   
> He makes decisions that change the original plan, and Levi isn't too pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! I like this chapter a lot and I'm starting to think I'm getting towards the end Ahh!   
> Not too close though so if you really enjoy this story don't fret haha (':
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for reading this and joining me along my first story!
> 
> Disclaimer- This is for fun and for me to get some of my Ereri madness out of my head haha so I'm sorry if there are mistakes! <3

Chapter 9:

It was the day after Eren and Levi’s conversation and more importantly--a day after the kiss. 

Eren, not surprisingly, was still confused yet also ecstatic. He thought… He hadn’t been so good at decoding the mix of feelings he was experiencing. Levi was really good at making him feel five things at the same time. Whenever he thought about the kiss he felt his insides sigh, content and excited. He would shudder and feel every organ fill with butterflies. Life was continually throwing a flip flop of emotions his way. 

 

“I thought it was obvious, Eren” 

 

Levi’s last words of the night made Eren shiver. He got that stomach tightening feeling every time his boss’ voice sounded in his memory. If he thought it was bad before, the after kiss voice was the best thing he’d heard from Levi yet. 

Eren figured he knew what he meant by those words last night, but he didn’t want to overthink his actions… He had his ideas; the most reasonable meaning Eren had concluded also made his head spin and his heart pound—that it was ‘obvious’ how he felt for Eren. If that IS what he had meant then Eren must have been blind this entire time. Although, he reasoned with himself, it’s not his fault he doesn’t understand. This has never happened to him before.

He’s never experienced emotions like this in his life. 

But, Levi had kissed him. Levi had kissed him. He couldn’t stop repeating that phrase in his mind let alone remembering how it felt to get kissed by the only person he’s ever been attracted to. If he wasn’t sure before, he was now. The reason Eren never wanted to date any girls was more than clear now—he was gay. He felt lighter in a fantastic way with that revelation, the sense of understanding made him feel complete. It felt right. And god Levi’s kiss felt right. 

It had been his first kiss as well. He couldn’t forget that. Never did he think he’d give his first kiss to a man, nor a man like Levi. Eren wasn’t sure if Levi was aware of that, but knowing him, he probably was. Every ‘date’ he agreed to go on in the past, he made sure to avoid a kiss at all costs. It was never appealing in his eyes. Not until he saw Levi. Then that foreign feeling of wanting to press your lips to someone else’s was all Eren’s brain seemed to be able to think. He finally wanted to, as though something just clicked in his head when he looked into those steel eyes. 

 

This was already the fourth time Eren had thought about last night while he was working on the register. Everyone noticed his improved mood, but also noted that he was still having distracted episodes. He checked out the next customer in line and tried to keep a decent streak of paying attention. Marco was going to talk to him soon if he didn’t straighten up. 

A short, attractive, man just had to come into his life and turn it upside down. 

 

Work was finished and Marco hadn’t pulled Eren aside so he assumed he was in the clear for now at least.   
Now, his palms were sweating while he stared at Levi’s corvette from the front of the store which was waiting to take him to his other job. He didn’t know how to approach the situation. Did he ask him about it? Did he ignore it? Did he kiss him when he got into the car?

He shook his head, this fumbling and wishy-washy behavior wasn’t him and he needed to start shaping up. Just because his knees got weak looking at the most handsome person he’d ever seen doesn’t mean he had to act like it.   
Eren let his shoulders relax and his feet carried him over to get into the vehicle, pushing the thoughts from his head and just winging it. 

“Hey Levi” Eren decided, since they were going to work, that right now would not be the best time to ask Levi for a full break down of what he thought about last night. There wasn’t enough time for Eren to ask all the questions he needed to spill out of his eager mind. He would need that eventually, though.

 

Levi nodded once, “Eren” He greeted in a lighter tone than he had in a while, perhaps ever before even.

 

“So what’s on the schedule for today?” He hadn’t been to work in a couple days and had no idea what the Survey corps crew had been up to. Inwardly, he hoped he didn’t start every conversation like that.

 

“Actually, we have an important meeting. The head of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith, will be there.” Even Levi’s demeanor around Eren had changed a bit, he was slightly more laid back than he had been. “It’s going to be about the upcoming arrest of Reiner. Shit might get intense today so be prepared.”

He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and rest his left arm along the base of the window. Eren couldn’t help but enjoy the view of Levi driving. He’d gotten caught staring before, but he couldn’t help himself. His boss was very good at being in charge—either of people, work, or a vehicle. There was just something about a good looking person driving. Eren’s eyes travelled over Levi carelessly. 

 

“Okay I’ll just try to keep my mouth shut then.” Eren said with a chuckle, drawing a small scoff of a laugh out of his boss as well.

 

“He might greet you, ask you a few questions probably and seem friendly, but after that it’s probably your best bet to lay low—I mean it when I say this meeting is important. Everyone from the team will be there.” Levi informed him.

 

“Oh. Is it always like this?” Eren asked scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking.

 

“Sometimes. Only with high profile criminals like Reiner.” 

 

“Ahh” Eren mentally prepared himself to be in the most serious-business situation he’d ever been in. 

 

“You won’t have anything to worry about, though, it won’t concern you. You just have to be there to listen.” Although Eren loosened up knowing it probably wouldn’t involve him, he couldn’t help but want to be an active part of the team.

 

“When will I get to join an operation, then?” 

 

“It depends. This isn’t a good first one, it’s too dangerous.” Eren noticed this small comment had a connotation along with it. 

He could tell that meant something more. Levi didn’t want to put Eren in too dangerous of a situation because he didn’t want anything to happen to him. Eren wanted to pry a little bit more into his mind. It would sure be something to hear him say that himself. 

 

“I think I could do it, who’s to say the next one won’t have the same excuse?” He wasn’t too forceful with it, he didn’t want to turn their conversation into an argument.

 

“No, you’re sitting this one out. Reiner is different than other criminals. He’s not like the guy we planted the art on.” Levi’s tone definitely felt sterner this time. 

 

“Okay, okay, I understand.” That was confirmation enough of his speculations and it was all he was looking for. There was no need to press further. Eren didn’t believe he was actually ready either. 

 

“Good. Thank you.” Levi was sincere, glad that Eren didn’t question him further. “I can’t let you out there to get yourself killed.” 

 

“I don’t really want to do that either.” 

There was definitely a lot Eren had to learn still, he’d worked on the physical aspect, but only for about a week. They’d barely gotten to self-defense training and hadn’t even touched on combat or how to fire a gun. He’d never even put a hand on a gun before. Unprepared was a huge understatement. If he went out with the crew he’d get everyone killed for sure if not just himself. 

 

“When we get there you’ll be changing your clothes.” Levi changed the subject after an up and down glance at his passenger who was still in his now slightly grubby café outfit. 

 

“Oh… Oh, yeah.” Eren completely forgot. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect an important meeting. I don’t have my suit with me.” Of course something had to go wrong already. He put his hand to his head.

 

“I knew you wouldn’t expect it, so I grabbed your suit for you. It’s in the trunk.” Levi said casually. 

 

“Wait, what?” Eren turned and stared at Levi wide-eyed, “How do you keep getting into my house?” Eren questioned, shocked. It was about time he confronted that.

 

“Eren, you leave an apartment key hidden in the wreath hanging on your door.” 

 

“I didn’t think it was that noticeable…” He said quietly, suddenly embarrassed. 

 

“And it’s not. Not for most people. I planned on picking the lock, but then I found your key. What was the thought process behind that, anyway?” Levi asked. 

 

“Well, I kept forgetting a key and would have to wait outside the door for Mikasa to get home so we decided to cleverly hide a key in an old wreath we got as a house warming gift from one of Armin’s neighbors we talked to sometimes.” Eren shrugged innocently after admitting that. Another small chuckle came from Levi. It made Eren’s heart warm. 

 

“Well, let’s hope you won’t have any other people crazy enough about you to break into your apartment.” 

 

Eren’s head whipped to look at Levi’s face at his comment. A light blush finding his tan cheeks. Unfortunately, they reached their destination and Levi got out of the car before Eren could say anything. But, Eren thought he saw a small smile on his lips as he moved. 

 

“Don’t forget to grab your suit.” Eren heard the pop of the trunk.

He got out and grabbed his clothes with a matching smile.

 

The air in the building felt as serious as Levi said it would be. Everyone in smart clothes and talking quietly. He received short hellos from the crew, Petra’s was a little friendlier than others telling him,  
“Happy you’re back, Eren.” 

Once greetings subsided, Levi led him down the hall and into an office which he presumed was his. 

 

“You can change in here. When you’re done just come back out where everyone is.” Levi walked over to the door. “Unfortunately, I can’t stay and watch.” Levi gave a slow wink and left the room. Eren chewed on his lower lip and thought about the meeting as much as he could to push Levi’s not so innocent comment from his mind. He needed to be focused on the task ahead and Levi certainly wasn’t helping with that. He might be able to regain his focus, but Eren had trouble with that, being new to this whole attraction thing.

Eren dressed in his suit rather quickly to not keep anyone waiting. He didn’t know when the meeting was supposed to happen or when this Erwin was supposed to arrive. He turned to the door about to head out and sighed thankfully, there was a mirror hanging on the back of it. He assessed his situation quickly and while staring at his reflection, he remembered he was in Levi’s office. His head slowly turned to look at the orderly room and walked in a slow circle around, taking in what everything looked like. 

His first observation—it was pristine. Not an object out of place. The desk faced the door and was perfectly in line with the window behind it. Even the books on their shelves were in perfect lines filled just up to the end. There were two chairs across from the desk, facing into the room, also aligned perfectly. Eren lifted an eyebrow. It was obvious to him now why Levi had cleaned his room all that time ago. 

When he walked out, everyone was still standing around waiting, this time Hanji was present.

 

“Eren!” The only one to break the tense atmosphere. 

 

“Hey Hanji.” Eren tried to tone it down, to no avail.

 

“How exciting! Your first meeting!” She grabbed him by his upper arms and leaned in towards his face. 

 

“Y-Yeah, It’s great.” Eren agreed with her, hoping it would end the conversation sooner.

 

“You are on your way to doing amazing things!” Hanji let go then and threw her arm in the air dramatically, looking out to what probably wasn’t the living room in her mind anymore. Eren just smiled and nodded, unsure how to go about this.

 

“Don’t let these uppity people unnerve you, Eren. It’s nothing too scary.” The first actual good advice she’d given. She pushed her glasses back up her nose.

 

“I’ll try.” He liked Hanji even if she made him slightly uncomfortable, she was one of the only ones to accept him so readily. “I want to do my best.” Eren smiled.

 

“You will! What a cutie you are, you are the ideal new addition.” A huge grin spread across her face, “Well I will see you soon, Eren! Good luck!” Hanji left then, clearly having some other important thing to attend to. She walked briskly down the hall and into an office. 

 

The others had been watching and Eren went to join their conversation circle into the kitchen that was open to the living room. 

 

“Hanji can be a handful sometime, but she means well.” Gunther was the first to speak to him. Levi side-eyed Gunther and then watched for Eren’s answer.

 

“She gave me good advice… she just seems more excitable than most.” Eren commented. 

 

“That’s an understatement.” Oluo scoffed.

 

“Shut up, Oluo.” Petra sent a glare his way. “Anyway, Eren, these meetings are just informative, nothing too much. You’ll see.” Eren smiled in appreciation. “It gets a little more in depth when we get down to the details, this is our first all-inclusive meeting surrounding this case.” 

Eren was grateful for Petra’s help, in everything. She seemed to always be there when he needed her and said all the right things. It was hard to find people like that. Her insight helped him get a better picture of what this meeting was going to be like. 

 

“Erwin should be here soon.” Eld stated, ignoring the other conversations, his voice very diplomatic. 

Erwin. Eren didn’t know what to expect from the man who leads this whole operation. He was getting some mixed signals from the group. Levi told him the meetings can be intense, Hanji said not to let them bug him, and Petra said they weren’t a big deal… It looked like he’d just have to make the observation himself. 

Just as Eren was putting together a mental depiction of Erwin Smith, the front door opened. All heads snapped to the noise of the unlatching lock, including Eren’s. In the doorway, a tall, blond man stood in a dark blue suit. The man that stood there was not how he pictured Erwin. While he was entering their headquarters Eren noticed he had smooth, light skin and a bone structure that look like it could cut someone.   
In Eren’s mind, Erwin was an older man with grey hair and a weird mustache. He got that slightly wrong.   
Instead, the director of the Survey Corps was a younger man, possibly Levi’s age and something like a model. Eren recognized that Erwin had good features, but he didn’t see him anywhere near where he saw Levi. 

 

“Alright, let’s get this started.” His voice was low and sharp. Eren felt the authority just dripping off of him. 

 

Eren followed the group into a nearby room down the same hall that Levi’s office was on. It didn’t look like it was used too often. There weren’t many things within it besides a table big enough to fit us all and then some: no books, no papers, and some dust. Eren carefully took the seat on the other side of Petra, farthest from Erwin and the last on his side of the table. That seemed like the best place considering his rank.

His eyes tracked Levi as he went and sat to the right of the head of the table. Levi was the leader of this squad, so of course he had that seat. Eren just wished he could be near him. The other side of Erwin was Eld. The others filed in and probably didn’t have technically specific spots. He figured Oluo was the kind of person to keep sitting in the same seat as if it were assigned and got mad at anyone that sat there. 

 

“Levi, do you have the paperwork?” Erwin asked, once sitting. Eren’s attention was glued to that end of the table. 

 

Without hesitation, Levi produced a manila folder of papers and plopped it on the table. With one hand on top, he pushed them directly in front of Erwin. 

 

“Here. All we need is in this folder.” Levi sat back and folded his arms.

 

“Good.” Erwin opened the folder and leafed through the documents briskly. There was no sound in the room besides the paper brushing together. Eren looked around and did as others did. He kept his mouth shut and sat as straight and still as possible.   
“So” Erwin began, “To get right down to it we need a plan to get Reiner away from Annie and Bertholdt, his closest allies. We need him alone and secluded in order to get him. He can’t get away with these.” He put his pointer finger on the files. “Because we intend to show them to him in order to get him to cooperate. There needs to be limited exits, where he can’t make an escape. Preferably a familiar location so that we know it better than he does. I realize these particulars are quite specific, but they have to be. We have had an eye on Reiner for a long time now and it’s the right timing to make a move. We just need to be careful or he will escape. That could cause major problems for us.” Once he finished his speech, he looked around the group.   
“Levi, you’ll be the one to contact him and setup the meeting.” Levi nods at his direction, unfazed by his assignment. 

 

The rest of the room was deep in thought of a possible area. The limitations were strict and it was stumping everyone. Eren looked around, waiting for someone to speak. He couldn’t help but think of an option himself. The silence gave him plenty of opportunity to let his mind wander. It was better to keep up if he was going to be here. His eyes drifted to the table as he was lost in his own thoughts of a place they could use. Levi told him not to say anything and he didn’t intend to, this was his first time at a meeting for this job. Eren didn’t feel like he was ready to participate, after all he was just a café worker with little training.

But that’s when it hit him. A place without many exits, not too populated, familiar… The parking lot of the bookstore. Eren thought it through and rethought everything again. It was entirely enclosed…   
In the middle of Eren’s revelation, Gunther spoke up,

“What if we did it in a warehouse downtown, and sealed off the entrances and exits? That way it’d be away from people.” 

 

“It’s too risky, there are too many unknowns. He could stage some of his own henchmen hiding inside waiting for us because of the size and design of most of those warehouses.” Erwin shot down the idea. “Plus, it’s their territory over there.”

Eren didn’t want to be one of those. He definitely did not want to throw out an idea to have it be turned down, not in his first meeting. For a while longer, he left it to the professionals.  
Some other options were thrown out and immediately turned down. Time passed, hair was ruffled and heads strained in the effort to come up with a destination. With every reason not to do one location offered up, Eren’s idea looked more and more promising. His teeth lightly chewed on this inside of his lip, debating. 

He knew he was told to keep his mouth shut, but he might have the answer they were waiting for. Eren looked at Levi in the hope he could get some sort of validation, and to his surprise, Levi was looking back at him. He just lifted an eyebrow, obviously knowing something was going through his head. Eren just pursed his lips and looked away, not sure how Levi would react to his proposal.   
Eren breathed in and decided to speak his mind,

 

“What about the bookstore parking lot?” He lifted his gaze to look right at Levi once again as he spoke, knowing Levi would understand what he meant. Eren didn’t notice everyone looking right at him, “It loops around the back and is closed in by buildings on basically all sides…” Eren then realized that not everyone knew what he was talking about.  
“It’s Bodt’s Books, if you’ve heard of it, It’s in a calmer part just outside of the city on the better side of town, I think it might be an okay location.” Somehow he didn’t stumble over himself with his overflow of thoughts. 

 

Once the words were out, he lets his gaze wander over the others in the room. Seeing all the other pairs of eyes on him made him feel increasingly insecure about speaking up, especially when no one said anything for another minute. 

 

“That’s too risky.” Levi is the first to answer. Eren should have expected that response. “Too close to your apartment.” Levi never took his eyes from the newest member.

“But” Erwin’s interjection had everyone’s eyes shifting to him in surprise, including Eren’s. He never thought Erwin would take it seriously enough to comment, “Reiner won’t know that. He will think it’s a random location.” Erwin rubbed his chin with one hand. “It’s completely closed in, you said?” Eren nodded. 

 

“And you know it well?” He asked Eren. 

 

“Yes, I’ve worked and lived there for years.” Eren replied, surprised he was interested. 

 

“I think that’s the best idea we have right now.” He actually didn’t hate the idea. 

Eren’s eyes were wide, staring at the head of the corps. 

 

“It’s secure, not highly populated, and anonymous.” Erwin added more positives. There was another break while he thought.

There were nods of approval from most of the group, except Levi. His face was a mask.

 

“What about Mikasa? What if she shows up? That could put her in danger and the operation would be in jeopardy.” Levi was speaking entirely to Eren now, ignoring everyone else. He didn’t care that he was across the table from him. Only Levi knew all these details about him and it was showing his obvious inclination towards Eren. 

No one else in the room was aware of any of these facts as intimately as Levi did. Petra was one of the only other ones that knew him even a little bit, but even then not enough for most of this to make any impact. 

 

“Well… It could happen while she’s at work?” He phrased it like a question. No part of him wanted Levi to be mad at him for going against him. Eren just wanted to give his team a possible idea since they’d been stumped for a while. 

Levi kept his form, arms crossed and leaning back in his chair. He looked displeased.

 

“Okay. So, as of now, the meeting will take place behind the bookstore. Eren, you will be on location to help with the area since you know it the best.” Erwin’s declaration was clear, Eren was going to be put on the job. 

 

Eren didn’t expect to be included in their operation. He was stunned and didn’t feel ready in the slightest. He would only be helping with the location, but he was still going to be out on the field. That meant in the middle of the dangerous meeting between the survey corps and a notorious criminal. Reluctantly, Eren peered over at Levi. His expression was hard, almost unreadable. Eren felt his stomach drop. 

Levi didn’t want Eren out there this time, knowing full well Eren hadn’t been trained enough. 

“Meeting dismissed. I will let you all know when we meet again, it will be soon.” When Erwin stood up, everyone shuffled to stand up and follow him out. Eren waited and let everyone go in front of him, not wanting to shove his way in front of a more senior member. Eren was staring at the table, thinking of how his speaking up wound up being a good and bad thing. Go figure. Amidst his wait, Eren felt a hand grab his upper arm and suddenly he was being dragged up out of his seat. 

He looked over to see the side of Levi’s undercut. He was in trouble. His heart sank further knowing this conversation was about to happen. There were already so many agonizing thoughts going through his head and now Levi was about to glare at him and tell him he should have kept his damn mouth shut.

The two were clearly headed to Levi’s office.

Levi threw the door open and shoved Eren inside, slamming the door behind them. Eren tried to regain his footing properly, his forearms pushing against the back of the chair he ended up falling into. He lifted his eyes to where Levi stood just after shutting the door. The look on his face was enough to knock Eren over. 

 

“You should have kept your damn mouth shut.” Levi grabbed Eren’s shoulders and pulled him up steady on his feet and let him go once he had his footing. Eren had called it. 

 

“Levi, I’m sorry” Eren said honestly, “I had no idea he’d accept it… I didn’t know he’d put me on the job either. I didn’t want to be, I know I’m unprepared.” Eren looked at the floor. “I just wanted to help.”

 

“He’s an idiot for allowing you to be out there. I know the idea is good, but putting a rookie out on the field? That’s low even for him.” He spat. 

 

Eren heard Levi take a deep breath. “I know you didn’t expect what happened.” Eren looked up at his boss to see him pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “I just wish it would have gone differently.”

 

“I do too. Everyone was having such a hard time coming up with a location so…” Eren rubbed the back of his neck as he often did when he was nervous.

 

“You did well, Eren. I admire your guts for speaking up and congratulations on getting your first idea you’ve ever pitched approved.” Eren let out the breath he was holding at Levi’s change of pace.

Eren was shocked at his boss’ reaction. He expected to be thrown out or yelled at for being stupid. Instead, Levi was praising him. His comment lead Eren to believe that his frustration was really aimed at Erwin’s decision, and not at Eren himself.

 

“Thank you, Levi.” Eren looked into his eyes then. 

 

“Just know you’re going to get your ass trained off before this happens.” Levi let his sharp tongue out for a moment. 

 

“Good.” Eren really meant it, “I know I’m not ready to be out there and I don’t want to jeopardize the team… I need it.” He wanted Levi to know he was well aware of the extensive training he needed. Levi’s lips curved into a slight smile at that, a devilish smile. 

 

“You do. Without it you just solidified your own death.” Levi began taking slow steps towards his subordinate.   
“And I can’t have that happen. You had to go and run your mouth full of your newbie enthusiasm and bring good ideas to the table.” Levi was only an inch from Eren’s body now.   
“You need to learn to listen better first, brat.” Eren stiffened at the change in his tone of voice. Smoothness filled his ears and made a shiver run down the length of his body.

Levi closed the distance between them, pressing his body against Eren’s. He grabbed Eren’s tie and pulled his head down to meet his as he stretched up. Eren felt the fire rush through his veins again as Levi pressed their lips together. His body tingled in anticipation for whatever move was next. The slow, casualness of his actions had his eagerness boiling over. 

Eren expected the same as last time and went to pull away, but Levi put a hand to the back of his head, grabbing a fistful of shaggy brown hair. His boss guided him as they kissed, his mouth parting leading Eren’s to do the same. Eren felt the intensity of it all making his knees weak. He was thankful for the back of the chair helping to support him. A few more moments of soft lip kisses passed and Levi gripped Eren’s hip tight with his other hand, the forcefulness growing steadily. Levi pressed into Eren more, his tongue grazing his upper lip. That small touch sent a chill along the younger man’s spine. 

Being less experienced, Eren mimicked Levi’s actions and brushed his tongue against his lower lip. The reaction he got sent Eren’s head spinning, Levi sighed into the kiss as he deepened it. Eren had never felt anything so good in his life. He copied every movement until he was able to understand the flow and work for himself. Unknowingly, Eren’s hands traveled over the other man. They wandered from his chest down, moving on their own. His hands smoothed over his upper body and lowered to where his shirt was tucked in. Eren tugged up lightly at the button down shirt, when he didn’t get any protest, he yanked it untucked. 

Although eager, he was able to slow his roll there and placed his hand on Levi’s hips, only brushing his thumb onto his bare skin just under the hem of his shirt. The heat of their kiss increased with every new touch. Levi gently bit on Eren’s lower lip mid kiss. That sent Eren overboard. Eren’s careful hands slid under Levi’s shirt and felt the cool curve of his sides he had hidden under suit jackets. The only feeling within Eren was this overwhelming heat inside and out of his body. 

Levi let Eren’s curious touch trace along his hips and waist. He shuddered at the feeling of his soft, warm hands on his bare skin. He almost didn’t know how to stop. He really didn’t want to stop. Levi wanted to hear everything from Eren and keep this feeling of warmth within him. But he knew he couldn’t go all the way with Eren here, not in his office, and not for Eren’s first any of this. He relished in what he knew were the last few moments, kissing Eren harder than before, letting himself explore his mouth. 

He softened his approach, to Eren’s dismay, and slowly pulled back. He was not disappointed by the sight. Eren’s mouth was slightly parted with reddened lips and bright cheeks. His stunning green eyes were glossy as they looked at Levi with clear desire. The usually unkempt style his hair fell into was disrupted, ruffled in the back where Levi’s hand had been. Both of their breathing came heavier than normal.

 

“I can’t have you getting hurt, Eren.” Levi said, his honesty breaking through Eren’s blind need for more of Levi. 

Eren’s breathing regulated and he blinked a few times. He gave a small smile to Levi’s words.

 

“You’re going to be there to keep me in line. Plus you’re also going to kick my butt training the next while.” Eren laughed. 

 

“You’re damn right I will be.” Levi took one step back from Eren, returning to a more normal setup. “For both.” He smirked at that and turned to assess his appearance. Levi began re-tucking his shirt in.

 

Eren watched as Levi fixed himself up and couldn’t tone down the grin plastered on his face thinking of what just happened. There was nothing compared to how Levi made him feel. The buzz of life that ran through him whenever they touched had him aching for more. Though he wanted Levi, he felt like he wasn’t ready for what followed just yet. That was something he’d never even thought of or been near. Eren trusted Levi, though. He trusted his judgement. 

Lost in thought like always, he couldn’t help but admire Levi. His short stature added to his charm, Eren thought. The neat office fit his personality and watching him straighten himself out was amusing to Eren. He was onto his hair now, making sure the strands were on the correct sides of his middle part. 

Then it dawned on Eren what a sight he must look like after all of that. Pushing himself off of the chair he’d been leaning against the entire time, he moved to stand behind Levi in the mirror. Levi gave him a look in their reflection, but continued his task. Eren stood a good head or so taller than his boss so he could easily see the state of his hair. 

Levi moved out of Eren’s way and turned to look at him.

 

“You’re a mess.” Levi commented.

 

“Wow cool it with the flattery, I’m blushing.” Eren rolled his eyes. He had to admit, his hair was a little messier than usual and his tie was pretty crooked, but it wasn’t that bad. Levi chuckled, the most delightful sound in the world.

 

“Here, look at me—no turn towards me. With your entire body, Jaeger.” Eren finally got what Levi was asking and faced his boss. He stood there while Levi fixed his tie and looked him up and down.

 

“Much better.” Levi smirked, “It’s a shame we can’t stay here, but if we don’t get out of here soon people are going to start questioning shit.” Levi pulled on his suit jacket to adjust it as he spoke. 

 

“Right.” Eren suddenly felt nerves kick in over the thought of walking out of Levi’s office after a while of being alone with him. 

 

“Stop worrying.” Eren snapped himself out of it when Levi answered his thoughts like he was often good at. “They won’t think anything. Most of them are way too oblivious.” Levi put his hand on the doorknob and looked back at Eren.

 

“Stop doing that.” Eren just blinked at Levi. 

 

“Stop doing what?” Levi’s brows pulled together, confused.

 

“Stop knowing what I’m thinking.” 

 

“It’s not me, you have everything written on your face.” With that, Levi opened the door quickly so that Eren didn’t have time to question further. Eren frowned while sulking after him. 

 

The two walked into the living room and only Petra and Hanji were left out of everyone. They mingled for a bit, Hanji questioned him excitedly and congratulated him on coming up with the location at his first meeting. Levi just rolled his eyes as she praised him.   
In the room, the air was different than before. Outside was dark, everything lit inside by the warm glow of lamps. Eren seemed comfortable here somehow. Even though Hanji was a ball of fire, everything felt right. 

 

“Hanji, I have to take the kid home sometime.” Levi interrupted his thinking. Hanji must have still been talking to Eren, but he hadn’t been listening. 

 

“It was nice talking to you Hanji.” Eren spat out before he felt like he would have to answer whatever she had been previously saying. 

 

“Come back soon Eren!” Hanji yelled after them.

 

When Levi dropped Eren off at his apartment, he knew it was late. He tried to be as quiet as possible. Slowly shutting the door might have helped stop a slam, but the creaking increased. With every noise he made, he winced. Mikasa had to work early tomorrow morning and he hated coming in late. 

 

“Eren?” He heard his sister’s voice call from her room, then she appeared in front of him. 

 

“Hey, Mikasa, I didn’t think you’d be awake…” Eren commented with a quiet, apologetic tone.

 

“I was waiting for you, where have you been all night?” Her voice was filled with concern, he knew this new job at the Survey Corps changed everything. 

 

“I was at my other job. They had another important meeting, I’m sorry.” Eren tried to keep looking at her, but felt increasingly bad not being able to tell her anything and coming in late like this. 

Mikasa stood there and folded her arms. She looked like she was trying to be stern but the confusion and sadness was easily readable on her face. That was another kick in the gut. 

 

“You know I work early, right?” She asked. What she was saying questioned whether he even thought of her.

 

“Yeah, I do… and again I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave.” Eren slipped his suit jacket off and tossed it onto the couch. 

 

“What exactly is so important there that as an intern you have to stay?” Eren knew her suspicion was growing. 

 

“They want me to experience everything, including their late meetings.” He added a shrug to make it seem like he was just going along with things. He hoped the more he acted like he didn’t know, the more accepting she’d be. That was all he could think of. He couldn’t give her any information about the meeting.

 

“That’s just odd.” She said, “You’re so new why would they want the new guy to… Anyway, I have to go to bed. Good night, Eren, I’m glad you’re home safe.” That was like a stab to the stomach. 

Eren would have to talk to Levi. If she got any more concerned or untrusting of him, she would go and find out what was really going on. She was a smart and hard-working person who stood up for her family, so she wasn’t one to just let things slide. He definitely appreciated that side of her, but it was dangerous this time. They both could get into trouble. But of course he wasn’t exactly allowed to say that. 

And if he did… that would just make her more concerned. 

Eren sighed, standing alone in his kitchen now with a bowl of cereal on the counter in front of him mostly eaten. He now had two important things in his life, one new and one old that he was being pulled in opposite directions for. All that was left was to hope the two didn’t cross each other badly. 

For now, his bed was calling him.


	10. Dates and Debates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a ton of fun in it  
> Levi and Eren bond, Eren has a confrontation with the two most important people in his life, and mission preparation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! Don't hate me college has been eating up so much of my time and I didn't want to give you guys something TOO terrible (':  
> I hope you guys like this chapter I know there's quite a lot that happens and I'm sorry if it maybe feels all over the place I just wanted to make sure there was some fun content! And I really wanted all of it in this chapter.  
> So I hope I did an okay job of tying it all together lol!
> 
> Thanks for the support and understanding, friends! Enjoy more fun Ereri things

Chapter 10:

A month of training flew by. Eren had been busy from sunrise to (later than) sunset either running around for customers or running laps for training. He felt like he couldn’t catch a break. More often than not, his body was sore and—Eren had to stop and remind himself why he was doing this every now and then. It was easy to let the constant fatigue get to him, but it only took a deep breath to put his head back in the right spot.

The Survey Corps was everything he could have wanted in a future. He was helping track down bad guys that were sliding under the radar. That’s what bothered him most in this world, people like that who didn’t care about others or the world, people who were unfazed by what their actions do to others. These criminals only ever care about three things- money, power, and themselves. It made Eren sick to think about it.

But, it drove him onward. As he pushed through it all, he was growing steadily stronger. It was showing in his ability to carry more dirty plates to the sink at the café. All this training really was paying off and that’s what he had to remember. The more he trained, the better he felt, and the more he could do. Eren was determined to be able to carry his own weight when this operation carried out.

Erwin had let the squad know the operation would be executed soon so Eren let Levi take up that offer long ago to “train his ass off”. Erwin’s ‘soon’ warning had occurred a week ago. That meant the ‘go ahead’ could happen any day now. It became a waiting game that Eren tried not to dwell on. Once Erwin gave the okay, Levi would then contact Reiner and find out a meeting day and time. From there, the plan would move forward. 

The plan is as follows:

Eren, Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunther will wait in Eren’s apartment and watch for Levi’s car to pull up. Once Levi and Reiner head around the back of the building, everyone will leave down the stairs and split into two groups to seal off the two possible exits on either side of the building. Eren will be with Petra and Oluo on the side by the stairs and Eld and Gunther will take up the opposite. This way, Reiner has no escape route and no choice but to surrender.

Eren had to be able to help. That’s all he cared about. He was going to aid his team. One of his biggest fears at the moment was that he would prove Levi’s intuition to let him join the squad wrong. It would destroy him if he let down the team—let down Levi. If something were to happen and a member of his team would get hurt because of him… he’d never forgive himself. There was so much riding on this plan going correctly. Eren’s mind shot right to Levi. His touch-of-annoyance but otherwise stoic face flashed in the forefront of his train of thought. There was no doubt that Levi was the biggest reason he needed to do this right. 

Even at this point, Levi still hadn’t said anything about what was going on between them. There was something, but neither of them had concluded what it was exactly. All Eren knew was his insides tightened with excitement whenever his boss was around yet at the same time he felt calmer. Until Levi got him flustered, that is. Eren’s cheeks reddened at the thought of their interactions. It was nearly a given now that Levi would display some sort of affection every time he saw Eren. It made Eren’s head spin every time.

Things were too busy lately with training and the upcoming mission, so there was no time for discussion of what was going on—which made Eren that much more on edge. Although he was almost always busy with something, when he had any down time he was left thinking about the same thing—Levi. He always did jump headfirst into a situation and now he had no idea where to go. He just dove into emotions he’d never experienced in possibly the most difficult situation to have them in. Of course. 

 

Eren now sat in Levi’s car while they were parked out front of his apartment. Training for the night had just ended. A sweaty and probably smelly Eren gathered his bag of clothes from both work locations and was prepared to hop out of the car before Levi’s voice delayed his actions.

 

“Here” Levi handed Eren a piece of paper. The numbers written down were in an obvious pattern, but Eren’s shock forced a question out of his mouth.

 

“What’s this?” He cringed even asking.

 

“My phone number. Seeing as you know how I get into your apartment, and assuming you’re smart enough to change that, you’ll need a way to contact me.” 

 

“Oh. Do you want mine?” He was just relieved he didn’t get mocked for his dumb question. He’d been waiting for the ‘Are you kidding me?’ look. 

 

“Already have it. It came with your other records.” Levi said. Of course he did, Eren should have known that. “I can’t text you my name in case some shithead gets ahold of it, so that’s how you’ll know for sure it’s me.”

 

Eren just nodded slowly.

 

“I know it has been pretty much every day for the past couple of weeks, but I’ll let you know about training because at this rate Erwin could call us for the operation any time now.” 

 

The reassurance that the mission could be any day now sent a ripple of worry straight through Eren’s chest. He swallowed, trying to keep his thoughts from wandering away from this moment. 

 

“Once he contacts us, you have to set up the next part with Reiner, right?” Eren wanted to know just how much time of training (mental preparation) he had left. 

Levi nodded once, “Right.”

Eren just kept his eyes on the dashboard, his efforts to keep his thoughts in order failing. Levi reminding him that it could be soon just made him want to go back to training. He wasn’t strong enough or skilled enough yet. Eren noticed Levi shift to watch him. 

 

“Eren” That brought Eren’s attention back up to his boss. “You have nothing to worry about.” As per usual, Levi saw right through him. It was hard wearing emotions on your sleeve next to a stoic and observant agent for the government. 

 

“I do. I need to be stronger. I need to be more prepared.” Eren’s shoulders slumped at his confession. It wasn’t like it hadn’t been obvious what he’s been thinking this whole time. He didn’t complain an ounce at even the most difficult training sessions. He was always asking for details of the mission when he thought of them.

 

“It’s hard to be prepared for the first one. These missions aren’t standard like other military or police endeavors” Levi stated. Without missing a beat he said, “You’re more dedicated than anyone I’ve worked with so far, Eren.” Eren stared directly into Levi’s eyes and felt his heart beat a little harder in his chest. 

Eren just stared with his mouth partially open. He could feel the praised puppy dog look on his face hearing such an important compliment.

 

“They might be strong and capable now, but they had half the intent that you do. If Oluo had a portion of your determination when he was training, he wouldn’t have been such a pain in the ass.” Eren just watched Levi with wide eyes, trying to take in his words. “This job does require skill, but you already have the most important element: The drive.” 

There was a pause. The car fell momentarily into a comfortable silence. 

 

“Thank you, Levi.” Eren managed in a voice quieter than Levi’s words. Levi softened and his mouth turned into a slight smile. A warmth spread throughout Eren upon feeling Levi’s smooth hand cover his resting on the center console. 

 

“The Survey Corps is a team, remember that. And I’ll always have your back if you ever pull some stupid shit. Just try not to.” Eren nodded with a smile on his face. 

 

He always could count on Levi to settle the bad kind of nerves and stir up the good kind. Though tough and closed off at times, he was a great boss and leader. He paid attention to his team more than they thought and worked with that. 

 

“Now get inside and get to sleep, there’s still time to kick your ass into even better shape.” The goofy smile hadn’t left and Eren went to open the car door. “Hey.”

 

When Eren turned, a hand softly rested on his cheek to guide his face closer to the driver’s side and Levi pressed his lips gently to his. Just a peck. Eren’s insides lit up at even the smallest kiss. Although sad when he pulled away, the happiness swelling inside him would tide him over until he was able to see him again. 

 

“Goodnight, Eren.” 

 

“Goodnight.” 

 

Eren left the vehicle, smiling all the way up to his apartment. When he opened the door, his excitement continued only a moment longer.

 

“Armin?” Eren grinned to see his friend standing in his apartment and rushed over to him. 

The serious look on Armin’s face stopped him in his tracks. Mikasa stood beside him in the entrance of the kitchen. His heart sank and his brain flew a mile a minute with options of what to say. It was happening again, he knew what was coming.

 

“Eren” Mikasa started, “We’re worried.” She looked disappointed. Her eyes betrayed everything she was feeling although she tried to keep it together. Armin nodded in agreement. Eren flipped his gaze back and forth between the two. The feelings of guilt and nervousness pounded in his gut. 

 

“We don’t know what’s been going on but… you’re different now and we have no idea where you’ve been off to.” Armin got straight to the point after Mikasa set the tone. 

Eren stared wide eyed at his sister and friend. He realized by their expectant looks that they were waiting for him to answer then. They wanted him to settle their worry, but he didn’t think he’d be able to. No matter what, his answers were going to be vague and unhelpful. Unfulfilling. He had to keep trying, he couldn’t just sit there in silence. That would just make them more and more unnerved. 

 

“Well, you know, I’ve got that internship that’s been really important to me…” He lightened it up a little bit, trying his best to believe his own words.

 

“No.” Mikasa’s sudden interruption startled him. “That’s not good enough, Eren, you’ve kept us in the dark long enough.” She was sterner in her plea. 

 

“Guys that’s all, really, I work at an office I’m just an intern I—“ He tried again to mend the downward spiral this was heading towards. 

 

“Eren. Please. Some truth. You’ve been dressing different, you’re out at odd hours that don’t make sense for an internship, you’ve been having random meetings, and I don’t know… you just don’t seem like your normal self. Things have been so much different lately.” Her words were laced with confusion and sadness.

 

Eren paused to think, his gaze wandering to the side. Was he really acting that different? He hadn’t noticed. As for the clothes, well he’d been coming home in suits a few more times than he ever would before that’s for sure. He also knew that he was out at weird times for a supposed ‘office job’. There was no real way to cover that up. He chewed on his lower lip nervously.

 

“I-I don’t know what else to tell you guys I mean it’s just a weird office I guess.” Eren’s insides squirmed with disgust for himself and what he was doing. Having to keep reassuring lies over and over were killing him. He wanted them to stop.

 

“Eren…” Their faces hurt him. 

He just looked over the frowns, furrowed brows and foreheads creased with worry. He watched Armin’s bright blue eyes shine, hoping for Eren to tell them the truth. Eren’s mouth was having trouble forming words. Not like he could think of any either, suddenly any letter combination was just gibberish. Nothing was good enough to tell them. 

 

“I…” Eren paused a moment, not sure what to even say next. He couldn’t say what he wanted to and that was extremely frustrating. This wasn’t something he had been prepared for. It was his own foolishness to think it would only have an impact on his life. He had nothing else. There was only one thing left he could do and he hoped they would trust him enough. 

He broke.

“I can’t tell you” Eren sounded desperate “I can’t.” He tilted his head towards the ground. He could feel the tension breaking from his body as he finally choked out the words he’d been wanting to say. Not all of them, but enough to ease his aching conscience. 

Their faces changed almost simultaneously at the strange revelation. Curiosity shifted into place.

 

“You have to trust me on this, I’m fine, but I can’t tell you anything.” Eren blurted out in a quieter tone. He wasn’t sure how much trouble he could get in for saying even that much… but he couldn’t handle it anymore.

 

“What does that mean?” Armin’s brows furrowed. 

 

“It means just that—I can’t tell you. I’m not supposed to. I know that’s not much to go on… but you have to trust me.” Eren’s eyes shone with the hope that his family would listen to him just this once.

 

“That’s nothing to go on…” Armin looked defeated at this point. 

 

“I don’t understand.” Mikasa shook her head “How can you not tell us? What could you be doing that you can’t tell us about?” Eren saw the wheels turning in her mind and knew he needed to stop her in her tracks.

 

“I know what you’re thinking and it’s nothing illegal and I’m not being held hostage. It’s just not…” He struggled to find the right term, “public knowledge.” That would have to do.  
“I need you two to understand that it is for all of our safety that it stays a secret and you stay away from it.” 

 

“Are you in the FBI?” Armin’s eyes shot open wide. “A spy?” Mikasa looked like she was going to faint at Armin’s outburst. 

 

“What? No! No, Armin, I’m not.” Eren pushed his hand through his hair. “You can’t keep guessing, either, that game won’t work.” Eren knew there was no way they’d guess the Survey Corps for one, and two, he couldn’t say yes even if they managed to get it right.

 

“This is just a really difficult thing to accept, Eren.” Mikasa pushed her lips together in a thin line. “I don’t know if I can.”

 

“I know… I know.” Eren dropped his head to look at the floor, exasperated “I want you to understand that this is hard for me, too. I hate not being able to tell you guys everything, but I don’t have a choice.” The pain in his voice must have been evident. 

He probably looked like hell at this point, too. As much as training and working were taking a toll on him, so was the wall that was being built between him and the most important people in his life. Eren rubbed a hand over his face and looked up at Armin and Mikasa. 

 

“I’m so sorry.” Eren’s voice was quiet, but the passion behind his few words was strong. 

 

The quiet in the room was nothing like the quiet between him and Levi. Here, he was waiting for an answer that could be terrifying. It was the same feeling that someone gets when they hear “I need to talk to you about something serious...” And it could be about anything—but the mind jumps straight to something bad. 

 

“I don’t know what’s going on” Armin began in a softer tone, “But I can tell you’re finally telling us the truth.” Armin’s expression was lighter now, no longer intense. His next words almost made Eren’s knees buckle, “I trust you” Relief flooded Eren in such a strong wave tears almost spilled out from his eyes without warning after hearing Armin speak the words he needed to hear. 

Armin put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I see that it bothers you so much. Even though I don’t like that you have to keep it a secret from us… I just want you to be safe.” Eren had never been more thankful for his friend than he had right now. A small, relieved, smile found its way on Eren’s face. 

He switched his gaze to Mikasa then, who was looking slightly away from him, arms folded.

 

“I deal with your late nights, disappearances, and changes in behavior every day” She began, Eren’s hopes were sinking.  
“I can’t promise anything, but I will trust you on this.”

Eren leapt up and hugged Mikasa.

 

“Thank you.” He threw his right arm out to grab Armin and pull him in as well. “Thank you both.”

 

“I just can’t have my best friend turn into a criminal, so as long as you aren’t one, everything’s fine.” Armin said, muffled by the hug.

 

“You definitely don’t have to worry about that, don’t you know me?” Eren let go in his shock. “Don’t tell me you forgot how I stood up to those guys picking on you when we first met.”

 

“I remember Mikasa coming to the rescue.” Armin laughed and Mikasa followed suit. Eren smiled at his friends even though he was at the end of the joke. 

 

“Very funny… I had the idea though, that’s what matters.” Eren justified. 

 

“Uh huh, sure.” Mikasa raised an eyebrow. 

Eren’s heart had settled for the first time since he had to come up with a cover story to tell Mikasa. Since that day a couple of months ago, he hadn’t felt right.

He never expected this to happen—joining a secret organization or to have his family understand and accept his lack of information about said organization. As long as they kept their distance like they said they would, Eren wouldn’t get in trouble. Also, no one would get hurt or relocated to a remote location in Siberia. This couldn’t have worked out any better. He hadn’t felt this happy in a while. Although he loved being around Levi and his job was perfect for him, being able to keep a strong connection with his family was one of the most important things to him. Eren hadn’t realized the extent of the emotional toll it was taking on him until tonight when everything fell into place. 

The relationship with his friend and sister had been mended and he got to keep the job he felt like he was meant for.  
Life could stay like this forever. 

 

The next morning was Saturday. Eren slept in. Until the ping of his phone beside his pillow disturbed him enough for his eyes to open sleepily towards the lit up screen. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light filtering in through the window. 

Eren shifted up to lean on his forearms in order to drag his phone in front of his face. 

An unknown number. No one ever texted his phone that he didn’t know. Again, the only people he really talked to were Mikasa, Armin, or people from the café. He opened the text and furrowed his brows.

“Be outside in 10.”

Eren rubbed his eye with his fist. With a few more seconds to wake up, he suddenly remembered a certain conversation from yesterday and perked up. He needed the piece of paper. Where did he put it?

Eren clambered out of bed, the covers now a mess. Locating his pants from yesterday on the floor in front of his closet, he checked his pockets. Not there. Must be in his jacket pocket. It was draped over his desk chair. Thankfully, Eren’s fingers brushed a small paper in the right hand pocket. Eren took it over to his bed where his phone was and compared the numbers—they were identical.

Levi.

If Levi didn’t want to text his name in case it leaked… Then he must not want his name in Eren’s phone. But that didn’t mean Eren wanted to have to memorize the number. Also, the last thing he would want is to have texts from an unknown number in front of Armin or Mikasa. They would certainly think he was working for something/someone shady then. 

Eren thought for a second. What could he put in as Levi’s contact title where only he would know who exactly it was? 

He blushed at the first idea that popped into his head and looked back down at the text he was sent. It just made sense…

Eren slowly typed out “Boss” into the name box. It was the one thing he knew he’d recognize who it was upon seeing it without it being too obvious.

He heard another ding from his phone. That’s when he remembered he only had about five more minutes to be outside. Without even looking at a text that was probably scolding him, he turned into a tornado and his room was messier than before. He threw on jeans and a grey T-shirt, grabbing the black jacket he’d received from Levi and sped out of his apartment, a poptart in his mouth. 

The corvette was easy to spot, dark on a light day. Eren rushed down the stairs, finishing the poptart before getting in so he didn’t get crumbs in Levi’s car. He made that mistake a while ago. It wasn’t good, Levi made him clean the entire inside of his car. To be fair, Eren should have known better.

 

“I see you got my text okay.” Levi commented as Eren slipped into the passenger seat. 

 

“Am I on time?” Eren chuckled a bit, getting his phone out and setting it on his lap. 

That’s when he remembered he never opened the second text that Levi sent him and he froze up. Only his eyes moved to look at Levi who was, unfortunately, looking own at Eren’s bright phone screen. The elusive amused smirk appeared on his face.

 

“Boss, hm?” Eren’s cheeks heated up. “I hope that’s my name.” Levi’s voice slipped into the tone that gave Eren goosebumps. 

 

“Y-yeah… I figured you wouldn’t want your actual name in my phone so I put in what you told me to call you, right boss?” Eren turned on the charm and twisted his shoulders to face Levi, looking up at him through his eyelashes. He still struggled with flirting, especially when he was caught off-guard. Levi clearly accepted his decision, so Eren felt more confident.

 

“Good work, Eren.” Levi leaned in, touching his fingertips to Eren’s chin, tilting it up slightly. Eren let a small smile appear on his lips. “You knew exactly what I wanted.” 

 

After a chill ran through Eren’s body, he replied, “Thank you. I’d like to do more of what you want…” Eren narrowed his eyes at him. 

 

“Well what I want is for you to be prepared for this mission.” Levi dropped his arm and shifted the car out of park to leave. Eren was used to Levi’s favorite game—get Eren flustered and submitting then go back to normal. Eren had always loved it. 

 

“Does that mean you’re taking me on another nice ‘here, meet a criminal’ date?” He recalled another time Levi picked him up and he didn’t know where they were going. 

Eren’s confidence and comfort around Levi had increased over the training period since Levi took over most of his training himself now

 

“Not that kind of date, sorry to disappoint.” Levi joked.

 

Eren, although much more at ease around his superior, still was not immune to the flirtatious quips Levi would throw at him increasingly often nowadays since they had been much more open with these interactions. 

The fact that Levi did not dismiss this as a date meant more to Eren than Levi probably intended.

 

“Well, then, where are we off to?” Eren buckled his seatbelt, trying to pretend he didn’t read into that.

 

“Training, Jaeger” Levi said, “remember when you agreed to have your ass trained off? I’m living up to that promise.” He said.

“Gotcha.”Although Eren wished it had been a date, he still didn’t complain about training for two reasons: 1. He got to see Levi, and 2. He wanted to be ready as well. The last thing he’d want to do is ruin this for everyone on his first go. Erwin was the one that put him on the job. That’d ruin everything for him.

“So, I’ll give you the option, what do you think you need to work on?” Levi asked. He really had to think about this one.

 

“Let’s go to the shooting range. We’ve hardly been there. I can probably outrun anyone at this point, but my aim is shit.” Eren decided.

 

“You’re right.” Levi wasn’t one to sugarcoat. 

Eren raised his eyebrows once and looked out the window until they made it to headquarters. The shooting range was in the basement so anyone, mostly newbies Eren guessed, could hone their skills. He’d never held a gun apart from two other times he and Levi were here. That was one of the things that worried him. Those cop shows made it look easy to hit their target first try. There’s no way Eren could. If anyone on his team expected him to make a good shot then he’d seriously let them down. And letting someone down in this case was much worse than hurting their feelings. Someone really could get hurt.

Eren held the pistol, the now familiar feeling of metal in his hands, raising it up to his line of sight with the target in view. The target was, unfortunately to Eren, the outline of a person. It was a very morbid thing to think too deeply about. This particular one was free of bullet holes, perfect for Eren to see where his shot would actually end up. The other cutout targets down the line were not so fortunate, littered with black dots so much it was hard to tell they were once made of a white material.

He shifted his grip and could see the unsteady movement of his hand out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Come on, Jaeger, we don’t have all day.” Levi’s ‘I’m your boss and trainer’ voice had already set in.

 

Eren swallowed and as soon as he held his breath, pulled the trigger with his index finger. The loud noise resonated around the small booth they were in, luckily they both had on protective earmuffs and eyeglasses. Eren lowered the gun and looked to see where he hit on the target.

To his dismay, the ‘person’ was still unscathed.

He worked at it another half hour, only grazing most and hitting every once in a while off center somewhere in the stomach area. Eren was getting discouraged. He knew Levi could tell.

“Again” Levi ordered with no other comment on his lack of accuracy.

 

Eren took the stance back up and changed his aim slightly to try and actually hit the target.  
He fired off three shots this time.

 

“Better.” Levi replied before Eren even had the chance to check.

When he peered around the gun, he saw two of the three actually managed to hit the chest of the person. Barely, but it was more than he expected. 

 

“What you need to work on, is the intent” Levi stepped up beside him now, “I know this makes you nervous. I know you don’t feel comfortable firing a gun, Eren. This isn’t just anyone you’re shooting at, this is a criminal. One that could be threatening you, a friend…” He paused, “or me.” He might have paused before saying himself, but it was one of the strongest factors to Eren. He didn’t want to let anything happen to Levi, or worse—something happen to Levi because of him.

 

“Try again”

 

Eren nodded, not wanting to break his focus with a long conversation. He raised his gun.

 

“If you hit directly in the chest this time, we can go get lunch” Levi threw in before Eren fired, “And I’ll buy.”

 

“Not the head?” Eren was surprised that he didn’t make it more difficult.

 

“I don’t want an impossible wager.” Eren rolled his eyes at that.

Now smiling about Levi’s previous comment, he tried to focus. He knew that his biggest setback was his own mind. Eren couldn’t wrap his head around actually shooting somebody. He despised the criminals of this world, but didn’t want to become one to get rid of them. He took a deep breath, these were the bad guys. If he wanted to protect himself and the people he cared about, he needed to at least know how to use this thing. Even if it was his last resort. He couldn’t let Levi get hurt. He couldn’t let Levi get hurt. He repeated that over and over and in a split second pulled the trigger—one last shot.

Eren looked up and his mouth dropped open. Levi had been right, it was his intent all along.

He looked back to see Levi give a small smile and dip of his head for approval.

 

“So, what’s for lunch?” Eren beamed.

 

Levi brought Eren to a restaurant near Eren’s side of town. A small, family owned kind of place. Eren couldn’t stop his fluttering heart the entire time. Eren knew it wasn’t a ‘date’ per say, but it sure felt like one. He sat across from his boss and tried to stop himself from smiling like an idiot at his serious, contemplating, expression staring down at the menu. Levi’s short, black, hair draped over only part of his features leaving Eren the chance to glance up now and then to see the look on his fair face.

When they ordered, Eren listened to the way his voice sounded when speaking to someone. Voices always changed ever so slightly when they talked to different people and Eren wanted to hear all of Levi’s range. He had never been so entranced by a voice before. Levi wasn’t one to put on an act for another person, but Eren knew his demeanor well enough to sense the increased in politeness. It made him smile. Mikasa and Armin used to joke with him about how his voice got a little higher when he was trying to politely talk to staff from anywhere. That’s what made Eren notice it in others. 

 

“This place seems nice, have you been here before?” Eren asked to start conversation. Although, he really was curious so it wasn’t just regular small-talk. 

The restaurant was decked out in earthy tones with some art hung up on the walls. Levi was the one who requested a booth rather than one of the tables in the center of the room. Eren also considered himself more of a booth person, so he had no need to complain. Only a few staff members were on duty right now even though it was lunch time, so that showed how quaint the place really was. 

 

“A few times. I’m not a fan of busier places.” Eren made a mental note of that. “The foods pretty good.” Levi said, taking a sip of tea from his mug. Eren focused on the way he held it, over the top rather than the handle. Strange. It was somehow fitting to Levi.

 

“As long as the food is good, I’m good.” Eren smiled. 

 

“Didn’t you say you like to cook?” Levi set his mug down and looked back at Eren with an unwavering gaze. One of Eren’s favorite qualities about Levi was his willingness to look into your eyes. That was what stopped him in his tracks the first time he met him, those dark grey eyes.

 

“Yes, I do. That’s also a big reason why I started.” Eren let out a small laugh. Levi relaxed back into the dark green cushioned booth. 

 

“Mm.” Levi hummed a short beat to answer. 

 

“I’m also actually good at it, thankfully.” He wanted to reassure Levi that he had some talent in this world. 

 

“You’ll have to cook for me sometime then. Let’s see if your cooking is better than your aim.” Levi’s statement was music to Eren’s ears even with the little quip at the end. He’d been wanting to. Countless times he imagined what he’d prepare.

 

“I’ll have to check my schedule, I’m busy with training these days. Especially with firearms.” Eren toyed with a playful smirk. Levi had it coming after the remark about his aim. 

 

Levi raised an eyebrow before letting his expression soften to a smile, “You’re going to play that game?” 

 

“I mean my boss might let me take time off but…” Eren hadn’t felt so free in a while. This is the most relaxed he’d been in front of Levi.

 

“I think he can make arrangements.” Levi leaned his elbow on the table and set his head on his hand, looking at Eren still. 

Eren didn’t stop the grin from spreading onto his face so luckily the waitress came back with their food to stop him from doing something embarrassing. Eren took a bite of his burger and made a noise of content. 

 

“It’s amazing.” He said as soon as he had swallowed the majority of his food. The last thing he needed to do now would be to talk with his mouth full. 

 

Levi smiled, “Glad I recommended the burger then.” He grabbed his own and began to eat. 

They had both gotten burgers but with different toppings. Levi didn’t like tomatoes for one difference. Eren was a fan of anything and everything on his burgers. His was stacked high, and probably not smartly, with things. He was surely going to make a mess of himself. He grabbed a napkin from the stack their waitress dropped off and wiped at his mouth. 

 

“This is about to be attractive.” Eren looked at the best angle to take his next bite from. 

 

“Stop worrying so much, you’re eating a burger, you’re going to get shit on your face.” That was a very Levi way of comforting someone. Eren just went in for another bite trying to remember he didn’t have to be perfect. “Just keep those napkins close by and try not to get anything on your clothes that you could track into my car.” Eren chuckled even though he knew it wasn’t entirely a joke. 

 

Then Levi’s phone went off. The two stopped what they were doing. There weren’t many people Levi kept in contact with. Eren focused on chewing so that he didn’t choke, but finished quickly to be free of distractions. 

 

When Levi pulled his phone out Eren asked, “What is it?” 

 

“It’s Erwin.” Eren’s insides chilled.

 

Levi stared down at his phone with the serious look back before typing something out.

 

He looked back up at Eren.

 

“It’s time to start the mission.”


	11. A dinner for two... or three?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another meeting brings the Survey Corps closer to their mission.  
> Afterwards, Eren and Levi try to have a romantic date, but it gets crashed. Eren, without trying to, reveals a secret he's been harboring to someone close to him. Hopefully it turns out okay for the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knooow it has been forever since I have been back with my boys!  
> My semester ended and then I left my laptop charger at school (cries) so I had no way to finish up this chapter until now!  
> Thanks for the patience and thank you soo much for reading still! It's so fun creating this story!  
> Enjoy this fun chapter (I hope you get as giddy as I did writing this! hehe)

Chapter 11:

The Survey Corps filed into their regular conference room, Levi in the lead, a manila folder in his hand. Eren let the others go first, knowing his rank among them. He fell into step behind Eld.  
Eren’s hand just touched the back of the chair nearest to him when Levi called his name, his head snapped up, alert. Levi pulled out the chair directly to his left while keeping eye contact with Eren, his cue that that chair was meant for him. Eren’s hand slipped off where he was about to take a seat and he moved to the front. When he sat down, he eyed the rest of the team seated around the table. Oluo gave him a squinty, trying-to-be-challenging, look presumably about his place in the room, but Eren just ignored it. Petra was opposite him, Levi’s right-hand. That was a good choice, but what was Eren doing at the front for his first mission? 

Levi stayed standing at the head of the table, conducting their meeting. The next portion of their operation would be led by him, Erwin just dictates who, when, and helps figure out how. Despite how they met, Eren trusted Levi with everything. The others looked at him with the same amount of respect. These people would follow Levi to the ends of the Earth. He was a good leader and kept his team at top priority. There was an air about him that made a person comfortable in following his lead.

His intelligence showed in every choice he made from the foot he stepped with first to where he wanted to go for food. That was how his mind worked, ten steps ahead. Levi was the type of person to be sure of absolutely everything. There was hardly ever any second guessing. It was as though he already knew the day’s events. His accuracy was untouchable. It was a wonder Eren was actually a part of his squad because he was the exact opposite of that.

Eren’s observations were cut off when Levi began to speak,

 

“As you’re all probably aware, I’ve contacted Reiner and set up when we will meet behind the bookstore” Levi began, “This will happen in a week from tomorrow. Over the course of this time, I want everyone to visit the area at some point, but not all at once, just to familiarize yourselves with the surroundings.”

 

Eren breathed a sigh of relief that there was more time. He needed more time to train and prepare. His skills were the only part of him that needed more time at this point; he was getting more gumption when it came to actually going through with this. Eren wanted this guy off the streets just as much as the rest of them. He just wanted to be strong enough to do it. 

 

“This is a map of the lot” Levi pulled a piece of paper out of the folder and slid it closer to his crew gathered around, just past Eren. He knew Eren wasn’t someone who needed to see it, it was of his apartment building after all. From his point of view, he could see it was an overhead diagram of where everything was.

 

“Make sure you are as familiar with it as Eren, like you’ve lived there for years. We can’t let anything slip through the cracks.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Everyone knows the plan?” Levi double-checked. 

There were short nods from everyone. 

 

“Good.” 

Eren waited and watched as each person passed it around to get a better look.

 

“The meeting is right after the bookstore closes, but before Eren’s sister, Mikasa, gets home from her job. Eren, you said the bookstore closes at 6pm on Sunday, correct?” Levi looked down to his side at Eren. 

 

“Right” Eren confirmed. 

 

“Good, I’ve told Reiner to be there by 7:00pm. I expect all of you to be upstairs in Eren’s apartment no later than 6:15.” Eren stared at Levi. His authority was incredible. Eren couldn’t help but watch the way he talked and his body language. He didn’t know how no one else was as mesmerized as he was. 

 

“Will we be getting a key to Eren’s apartment?” Levi shot a look at Oluo. 

 

“Why would you need a key to Eren’s apartment?” Eren tried to hide the smirk threatening at his lips from Levi’s defensive attitude. It was subtle, but Eren noticed it. 

 

“I like to be early and he might not get out of work on time.” Oluo justified.

 

“Then wait for him. It’s not like we’d start the mission without him anyway.” Levi shut him down. “But, Eren will get out of work on time. He told his boss at the café that he had a meeting and had to rush out as soon as he could” Levi explained. 

 

Oluo threw a questioning look his way and for the second time in the same meeting, Eren just didn’t look at him directly. He guessed Oluo noticed the defensiveness as well. 

 

“Eren, Petra, and Oluo will be stationed on the side by the staircase and Eld and Gunther, you two go around the front of the building to the other side and seal off that exit. If anything goes wrong, don’t retreat back upstairs including you, Eren.” Levi looked down at him, who was already gazing up at him as he spoke.  
“Reiner has to remain under the assumption this is a neutral location, meaning neither of us have affiliations with it. We can’t have him knowing it’s where you live." 

 

“Okay” Eren responded to assure he understood the situation. 

 

“Stay out of sight, stick to the sides of the building, he will think something is up if he catches sight of any of you before I get the chance to show him the files. Make sure he at least gets to see the contents before any of you fuck up. Preferably don’t fuck up, though.” 

 

“You’ll give us the signal when you want us to commence the arrest, correct?” Gunther asked for confirmation.

 

Levi nodded, “Eren” Once again, he was called to the center of attention “I will move my hand in a circular motion, like this. It means to gather around me, that is when the arrest begins.” Levi lifted his hand up and demonstrated the sign to inform him, the newbie. 

 

“It continues as normal, Gunther put the cuffs on him while Eld holds him still, Petra and Oluo keep your guns on him. Eren stick close by and follow Petra and Oluo’s leads.”

 

“What will your position be?” Petra asked.

 

“I will be on your side, my back to you, if things go according to plan. Reiner should be closest to Eld and Gunther then for them to make the move for the arrest.” Petra nodded, jotting some things down on a note pad.

 

“Everyone understand?” Everyone, like clockwork, nodded again.

 

“Then I’ll see everyone again later this week for a follow up.” Levi dismissed everyone for the night. Eren stood up, knocking his chair back a little clumsily, and followed along out the door to head to the living room. 

The place began to feel comfortable to him. It was like going to a relative’s house, like Armin’s. It felt like that. He stepped into the living room headed towards Levi and Eld.

 

“Eren” Petra’s voice sounded from the kitchen and she waved him over. At that, he turned on his heel to meet her, the rest of the crew were talking about the mission in the other room. 

 

“What’s up?” Eren asked. Petra looked mischievous and it made Eren suddenly cautious.

 

“I see Levi’s really taken to you.” She gave a small smile. An instant heat flushed to Eren’s face. He didn’t know why, though probably obvious, he hoped no one would notice the moments he felt between he and Levi.

 

“Huh? No, I’m just the rookie so he’s been training me and all that…” Eren rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the side.

 

“His left hand side chair?” That, fortunately, was a mystery to him. 

 

“That was a surprise” He did originally go for a different chair… “I figured it was because this was about the location—my apartment” At the beginning of the meeting he was confused as to why his boss would choose the new guy to be at the front, he wasn’t one for favoritism. Once he got to the point of this particular meeting, it made a lot more sense. 

 

“Okay that one I’ll give to you” Petra gave a soft smile “But, I’ve never seen him act like this. I told you from the beginning he acted different around you. I know he tried to mask it in the meeting, but we saw how protective he was when Oluo asked about a key to your house.” Petra was genuinely curious, but Eren had nothing to tell her. 

He didn’t know what was going on and was also sure he wasn’t supposed to say anything. It probably wasn’t up to protocol to have your boss take such a liking you.

 

Eren shrugged, trying to seem oblivious, “I don’t know what you mean… Maybe Oluo had already gotten on his nerves today” Eren threw that possibility out. It seemed like a pretty good cover up.

 

“I suppose.” Petra leaned into one hip while she stood. “But if this is just because you’re a newbie… he never acted that way towards me when I was recruited.” She raised an eyebrow at him, still in a playful way, and Eren hoped his tanned skin hid the light blush coming to his cheeks thinking about the attention he got from Levi—and the fact that others noticed. He liked that more than he thought he would. 

 

“I-I don’t know, really.” Eren didn’t think that it was that noticeable. He’d probably have to mention something to Levi. He wondered what he’d have to say about it. Would he want to stop? Whatever it was? Or did he not care?

Levi was a very calculating kind of person, so Eren assumed if it were an issue, this behavior, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place. 

 

“Alright, alright, I’m done snooping—for now.” Petra winked and left the room. Eren breathed out heavily, tension leaving his body. At least that was over with, for now. Eren turned to see Levi talking with the others. He smiled uncontrollably looking at his handsome profile. 

 

It still struck him, having these feelings after so many years of not. He never understood other possibilities. Levi was the most attractive person he’d ever seen. And he was lucky that, for whatever reason, this beautiful man felt something for him, too. 

 

The crew dispersed just before Eren made his way over to the crew, having grabbed a water bottle from the fridge to hopefully leave enough time for his blush to subside. Only Levi and Eld were left talking. He made his way over and the three walked out to the driveway while they talked, moving towards their cars. 

 

“Alright. Gunther and I will go tomorrow to look at the side we’ll be on to make sure we have that information for the next meeting.” They were still discussing the plan. “See you guys later.” Eld dismissed himself, hopping into his car. 

 

Eren had grown very comfortable to being in Levi’s vehicle, just like being in headquarters. He leaned back and propped an arm on the door. 

 

“Petra talked with me after the meeting.” Eren started with, knowing he had to bring that up.

 

“Oh?” Levi showed his interest in the subject. 

 

“She noticed the defensiveness in your voice when you were talking to Oluo during the meeting.” Eren commented with light amusement, waiting for Levi’s response to the situation. 

 

“Well if he hadn’t asked for a key to your apartment like the idiot he is, I wouldn’t have had to be.” Levi’s residual annoyance was showing.

 

“She’s picking up on this uh… this—whatever we have going on.” Eren didn’t know what he was supposed to call it.

 

“She is the smartest of the group. I’m not surprised” was Levi’s only comment, leaving too much to Eren’s imagination. He had to keep pushing it.

 

“What am I supposed to do when she inevitably brings it up again?” 

 

“You can tell her how you fell for me while I was threatening you.” Levi’s lips curved into a smug grin. 

 

“Levi…” 

 

“Fine, then tell her she can mind her own damn business, courtesy of me.” 

 

“I feel like that will cause more questions.”

 

“The point of saying that is to not answer any more.” 

Eren just rolled his eyes, “Or, being as smart as she is, that would just answer the question anyway.”

 

“It’s never a good idea to kiss someone you work with, but I’ve already broken that rule so if she finds out, she finds out.” Levi’s answer made Eren’s chest light. But, he was still worried. 

 

“Are you sure? What could happen, you know, if word gets out?” Eren shifted in his seat. All he wanted was to be able to flaunt Levi, but he was terrified of losing everything he had now.

 

“Not sure. But, it’s no use worrying about it now, worry about it if something happens.” Levi paused to get a look at his passenger. “And I knew the possible outcomes when I started this.”

 

Levi surpassed what Eren expected from him, and also quashed his rising worry that someone finding out would cause him to pull back. It was the opposite, Levi didn’t give a shit. He smiled and looked out the window in thought.  
He noticed then they were going around the same block they just went around. He furrowed his brows. 

 

“Levi, where are we going?” Eren looked back at his driver. He knew the way to Eren’s apartment, they’d gone the same way many times before. 

 

“I wanted to stay with you longer.” Levi finished his statement then looked at Eren with only his eyes to watch the expression on his face and he wasn’t disappointed. The most genuine, delighted, smile graced Eren’s face as he looked at his boss. His green eyes glistened with happiness. Eren hated how his emotion was so easily read on his face, but it did usually help with the Levi situation. 

 

“You could come to my apartment if you wanted. I can make us dinner.” Eren offered. As soon as the words left his lips, Levi changed his looping pattern back on course to Eren’s home. “You know all you had to do was say something.” Eren commented after noticing his immediate reaction.

 

“I didn’t know if Mikasa would be home… And I wanted to hear you invite me back to your place.” Levi’s tone switched slightly at that moment, alluding to a more intimate suggestion. That sent a ripple through Eren’s core.

 

Eren let them into his apartment and took Levi’s suit jacket to hang it up. When he turned back, Levi was leaning against the wall in between the living room and kitchen, waiting for him. Eren froze a moment, staring at Levi. He looked incredible in his white button down, black tie, and dark grey pants. His casual, cool, stance had Eren’s heart thumping. He scanned from his black undercut down to his shoes, slowing over his lean body. It was like time slowed.  
His feet, with their mind of their own, carried him over to his boss. 

Now standing in front of him, Levi watched Eren’s movements carefully and casually. His boldness was half his increasing confidence and half his body moving without his mind catching up to what was happening. He couldn’t take it anymore, just watching Levi look so good. Eren’s hand gripped Levi’s tie and yanked him forward, crashing their lip together. Levi’s surprised expression melted into content, following Eren’s lead for once. 

A moment longer, Eren pulled away. He marveled at Levi’s glossy, heavy lidded eyes and quick, deep, breaths. 

 

“You’re daring.” Levi mused. The look on his face made Eren’s stomach tighten. 

 

“You can’t look that good and expect me to wait for you to make a move.” Eren stepped back then and in two seconds, Levi had grabbed his arm and flipped them around, pressing Eren’s back against the wall. He placed his hands on either side of him and leaned in. Eren’s heart pounded. 

 

“Is that so?” Levi’s voice shifted.

 

“Yes.” Eren stayed strong. Levi smirked.

 

“Very well. Then it’s my turn to make a move.” Levi pushed off the wall. “Let’s have dinner.” Eren let out a small groan of protest at Levi’s teasing. 

 

“You’re going to kill me.” Eren said and reluctantly moved into the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of them.

The kitchen was soon piling up with whatever Eren used. He tended to become a tornado in the kitchen, just running through to complete his dish and forgetting to clean up along the way. There hadn’t been a problem with it before Levi. Mikasa or Armin would help him with that part while they waited.

 

“Is this how you cook every time?” He eyed the mess on the counters.

 

“Uh…” Eren looked around, “Yeah usually I just clean up after.” He shrugged and turned, but he remembered Levi’s tendency towards cleanliness and turned back around. “It’s bothering you, isn’t it?” Eren suddenly felt self-conscious.

 

“As long as you clean it up, I’m fine. I’m not that crazy.” The way he looked at everything scattered all over told Eren he felt otherwise. 

 

“I promise I’ll clean it.” Eren added more to comfort himself than his boss.

 

By the end of his journey, Eren had made spaghetti with sauce made from scratch and the perfect seasoning. He debated whether or not to make it because it was messy to eat, but it was one of his specialties. He wanted Levi to try it. They had potatoes on the side and garlic bread. Eren presented his work and then stopped. He and Mikasa didn’t have a kitchen table, they only ever ate in front of the T.V at the coffee table. His embarrassment was evident in his sudden pause when his eyes hit the couch.

 

“What is it?” Levi looked at him, then observed the room. “Wherever is fine, Jaeger, quit treating me like I’m fragile or something” Levi grabbed his plate and walked ahead of Eren into the living room. He stopped himself from making a noise of protest.

 

“I just know it isn’t the nicest set up, it’s just how Mikasa and I have always done it.” Eren followed and sat on the couch next to Levi, away from the front door. 

 

“I’m not fancy, kid.” He played with the words for emphasis, raising an eyebrow, clearly amused at Eren’s perception of him. “I think your perspective of me is off.” Levi scoffed at the thought of being seen in such a way.

 

“It’s not that…” Eren began, twirling noodles with his fork, “I just wanted this to be, you know… nice” That was the simplest way Eren could think of to say ‘I wanted to treat you to a nice date’. In his mind, he expected this to be a bit more formal, but he supposed this suited them both more. 

 

“Mm” Levi mused. “Do you guys normally have the T.V on?” He asked.

 

“Yeah… We don’t have to turn it on if you don’t want to.” Eren was growing more and more unsure of himself. 

 

“Eren.” Levi’s sternness forced him to look over. “Snap out of it.” 

 

Eren had been so caught up in making Levi’s first time at his house nice that he was forgetting to enjoy it himself. There was so much to worry about, in his head anyway. He wanted a nice setup, the food to be good, to be at least a little formal, and—he knew he was just acting out of nerves. He’d never had anyone over to his house like this before. 

 

“Sorry” Eren was never anything but honest, “I just wanted things to go well.” He slumped a little, the tenseness lifting out of his shoulders. 

 

“You’re the one that’s going to ruin it. Everything is fine.” He reassured. “Now, what channel do you watch?” Levi brought it back down from the emotional mess Eren was creating.

 

“Well we actually just watch HGTV… You know the house hunting and remodeling type of shows.” Eren switched the show on, it was already on the correct channel when he turned the T.V on. 

 

Eren was somehow able to relax. Having Levi talk him down almost always worked. There’s just something different about having the person you’re attracted to over to your house rather than just out somewhere. There was an added element of nerves.

 

“Interesting.” Was Levi’s response to Eren’s favorite channel, but he seemed genuinely interested in it. 

Instead of watching the show, Eren’s eyes were glued to the fork Levi was carrying to his mouth, waiting to see his reaction to his cooking. 

 

“Wow. You actually can cook.” Levi looked at Eren and noticed he’d been watching him the whole time. As soon as the words left his mouth, Eren grinned.

 

“You like it?” He was beaming.

 

“It’s great, really.” He took another bite and Eren settled even more into the situation.

 

Eren’s worst worries, he was finding, were for nothing. Levi was right, the only thing that was going to ruin this was him. He wouldn’t let that happen. He was going to relax and enjoy the rest of the night.

 

“Why the hell did they pick that house? It’s falling to pieces. And disgusting.” Levi asked, pulling Eren from his thoughts. The show on currently was one where a couple has to pick one of the run-down fixer-upper houses the realtor shows them then they fix it up. Levi seemed to have missed that part.

 

Eren laughed a little, “Once they choose it the people who run the show help fix it up. That’s the whole point.” 

 

“That seems counterproductive.”

 

“It’s fun to watch the transformation.”

 

“But why would you choose the house in the worst condition?”

 

“It’s more for the show, how dramatic the final reveal ends up being.”

 

“It’s filthy.”

 

“Just keep watching.”

 

Eren’s lips formed a small smile in amusement at Levi’s reactions. It was cute. Immediately, he felt the heat fill his cheeks at his thought. 

 

“What?” Levi had turned to him.

 

“Nothing.” He couldn’t stop the smile no matter how much he tried in order to conceal his thoughts.

 

“What are you thinking about, Eren?” Levi narrowed his eyes at the man sitting beside him. 

 

Eren’s eyes went wide, his heart sinking to his feet as he looked beyond Levi. In just a moment, their perfect night fell apart. 

The front door had swung open and Mikasa stood in the doorway eyeing Levi, a strange man, in her eyes, sitting on the couch beside her brother. 

Levi had turned at the sound of the door shutting and their eyes connected. Eren thought he was dead for sure. 

 

“Eren… Who’s this?” Mikasa spoke first, slowly taking a few steps closer to them.

 

“You must be Mikasa.” Levi spoke first, his voice smooth and certain. Eren couldn’t help but feel something for him then, taking charge. 

He stood and Eren watched his every move, heart beating hard. Mikasa eyed him suspiciously, critical of this strange, intimidating figure. 

 

“Levi” He nodded once, meeting her eyes dead on, and extended his hand, “Eren’s boss.” Eren couldn’t help but sit helpless on the couch, at a loss for words.

 

“Mikasa, Eren’s sister. But it seems you already knew that.” She sounded reserved in emotion. 

 

“Well, Eren’s talked a lot about you.” Eren knew that was partially a lie, he knew everything before Eren told him. 

 

He noticed finally that Mikasa was directing a question at him, but he’d been staring open mouthed at the two of them.

 

“W-What?”

 

“I said, ‘is that so, Eren?’” She repeated, stepping aside to fully address her brother. He could tell she was just bringing him into the conversation to hear what he had to say. Eren swallowed hard, she knew that this job wasn’t all it seemed to be. He just hoped she wouldn’t pry too harsh. 

 

“Er—Yeah. We have plenty of stories to tell you know.” He ran a nervous hand through his hair as he tended to do. 

 

“You must be the guy that’s keeping Eren out at odd times, then.” Eren almost smacked his forehead. He wished she would stop. 

 

“Unfortunately, that is me. The office has some odd times, I admit, but it’s all in best interest of everyone involved. It’s the times that everyone is free to participate.” Levi’s cover was the most believable thing he’d ever heard. Mikasa’s attack seemed to lessen after that. It must be that she knows he won’t spill anything either. 

 

“I see.” She said. She switched between looking at the two. Levi held an intimidating stance—arms folded across his chest, leaning more onto one leg than the other. The way he dressed showed his authority as well, still in his suit.  
And somehow he hadn’t gotten any spaghetti sauce on his shirt… That reminded him,

 

“Levi and I were just having dinner, Mikasa, there’s some left over in the kitchen if you wanted to grab some.” He realized he had no explanation as to why he was having his boss over for dinner.

 

“Thanks.” She was being short. She didn’t like something. 

 

Levi’s hand brushed the small of Eren’s back as he dismissed himself back to the couch to give the siblings a chance to talk. It relaxed him and yet sent a jolt through his body at the same time. Eren walked the opposite way to lead Mikasa into the kitchen. He, with a cold dread, hoped Mikasa hadn’t noticed their interaction. 

 

“Here” Eren filled her plate and handed it to her. 

 

“What is he doing here?” Mikasa cut to the chase once they had some distance from his boss.

 

“Levi? Oh uh he’s here to discuss, um, things about my job.” Eren hoped that from their conversation not long ago that she would just accept that.

 

“Is it more that you can’t tell me?” That stabbed Eren in the chest, he knew she hated that. 

He just nodded, forlorn. She looked at him a moment longer before turning and heading into the living room. Eren jumped and followed her, realizing her next move. 

Mikasa had taken the seat in the armchair that was nearest Eren’s side of the couch. She watched Levi carefully, not caring about her actions. She had no reason to trust this man, and Eren didn’t blame her. He was running the secret organization Eren was gone consistently for. They could do anything, she didn’t have any inkling. In return, Levi kept his guard up.

When Eren made his way to stand beside Levi’s seat on the couch, Levi stood up. 

 

“I’d better get a move on, it’s getting late. It was nice to finally meet you, Mikasa. Thank you for letting me invade your home.” Levi grabbed his suit jacket and threw it on. Eren watched his every move. 

 

“Thank you for dinner, Eren.” Levi’s sincerity was not all for show, Eren knew he meant what he said. A genuine smile crossed Eren’s lips, forgetting Mikasa was in the room. 

 

“Anytime. I’ll walk you out.” Eren stepped over and held the door open as his boss passed through. Eren was always entranced by his every move.

 

Once the door was shut, Levi turned and gave Eren a kiss on the cheek.

 

“Dinner really was great. You’ll have to cook for me again now that I’ve had a taste.” Levi’s mouth curved into a devious smirk after his choice of words. 

 

“You want to taste more?” Eren toyed back.

 

Levi leaned in close to Eren’s face, “Can’t wait.” Levi traced his pointer finger down Eren’s chest, making Eren nearly crumble under the weight of the feeling that washed over him from it.

 

“H-Hey, cool it we barely made it away from Mikasa without her drilling you with questions. We don’t need to give her more reason to be suspicious.” Eren collected himself the best he could.

Levi gave a small snort of a laugh at that. “I can’t help myself with you, Eren.” Eren smiled at the small confession. 

 

“Goodnight, I will see you tomorrow bright and early for training. Don’t be late.” Levi left then, descending the stairs in the methodical, smooth way he did everything. Not a step out of place.

 

Eren, afraid that Levi would think he was creepy, slipped back inside. Confronting Mikasa would not be fun.

 

“I’m bac—“Eren didn’t even get to finish.

 

“Levi was quite friendly with you.” Mikasa stood in front of him in a few short steps from the kitchen. 

 

“H-Huh? I don’t know what you mean that’s crazy he is not…” Eren brushed it off. That only made Mikasa’s eyes widen. Curse his goddamn face. Mikasa moved closer to him.

“You like him, too.” 

Eren stopped breathing momentarily at what just came out of her mouth. He had to say something and fast.

 

“What? Mikasa that’s… that’s insane.” He shook his head and waved his arms.

 

“You like Levi.” She forced again. 

 

“He’s my boss, Mikasa, I’m nice to him I don’t know how else to—“ 

 

“I saw the way you look at him.” Mikasa was softer then. “You’ve never looked at anyone that way before.” Mikasa knew him too well for him to fight that. She knew how he felt about every girl he ‘dated’ and knew he felt nothing. He couldn’t imagine the looks he gave Levi, but they probably spoke everything he felt. 

All Eren could do was blink at her. He had nothing to say back. All he could do was wait for how she would react to what she concluded herself. Then he could respond. He watched her face carefully, unable to discern a particular emotion. Nothing negative yet, at least. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and crossed her right arm over her chest, leaning her other elbow on it and put her left hand to her mouth—her most common thinking pose. 

 

“I’m happy you found that, Eren, but your boss? Really?” Eren could have yelled with happiness. He should have figured is sister would have seen right through him. She had that same skill of reading every emotion Eren displayed on his face. 

 

“I—I… I know.” Eren moved and plopped onto the couch, dropping his head into his hands. It was no use protesting, she saw everything with her own eyes.

 

“I didn’t expect this… but I seriously didn’t peg you to go for a man like that.” Mikasa sat next to him, joking slightly before getting serious again, “He has feelings for you, too, Eren.” 

 

“It’s… something.” Eren admitted. “But I don’t know what.”

 

“It has to be complicated” Mikasa sympathized, “He’s the first crush you’ve ever had and he’s your boss. Seriously how much older than you is he?” She turned back into protective mode.

 

“Only a couple of years!” Eren said forcefully. 

 

“Good.” She sank back into the couch. “He treats you well?” 

 

Eren’s mind immediately fell into the gutter at first thought, picturing the times they’ve kissed or touched or exchanged flirty quips. He pushed that aside as quickly as he could.

 

“No one’s ever made me feel like this before. I feel… safe… around him, comfortable, but excited at the same time. It’s weird.”

 

“Wow I didn’t know you had it this bad just wait until Armin hears this.” Mikasa perked up even more. Eren groaned.

 

“Oh yeah, Armin is going to freak out. Listen, I don’t know what exactly is between Levi and I right now… There’s something sorta important happening at work right now so… It isn’t a good time to just, you know, talk about it all.”

 

“Something important?” Mikasa questioned.

 

“Just something we have to handle and Levi leads the whole thing so he’s got a lot going on.” 

 

“Oh.”

There was a pause as they both thought about the situation. Eren couldn’t believe that Mikasa knew. He’d let her into what he thought he’d never talk about. This, to him, was nearly bigger than him joining a secret crime fighting organization. It was just something so new to him he didn’t think he was prepared for her to know yet. But, he felt like part of the weight he carried on his shoulders slipped off. 

 

“I also saw the way he touched your back. ‘Colleagues’ don’t really interact that way.” Mikasa gave him a look. Eren’s cheeks reddened, he could feel it. Damn, he really hated that. “That was definitely a shock.” She chuckled. Eren was happy to see her this way. It’d been a while since they talked so openly. She’d been so much more reserved since Eren started his job.

 

“I see why you don’t mind working late nights now.” She teased and Eren looked at her sharply. 

 

“What? No that’s not it, we really do have meetings, I promise. If you believe anything I say, believe that.” Mikasa laughed again.

 

“Okay, Okay I was joking, don’t worry, I believe you. Partially.” She stood up. “I’m going to shower now” She paused,  
“Thank you. For letting me in.” She gave a small smile before turning away. 

 

Eren sighed and sank further into the couch, running his hands over his face. No day was going to be normal. He’d already accepted that the moment he met Levi. But, Mikasa knowing he was gay might have helped distract her from the fact that she still had no idea Eren was about to face a dangerous criminal in the next week.


	12. I'm not interested in girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren faces the facts of his sexuality with a few more people.  
> Dealing with that and the upcoming mission has everything jumbled at the moment, but attention from a certain boss makes it better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Again! Okay i actually like this chapter a lot? It's fun with a little fun (; at the end!  
> The next chapter will be the mission so im sorry if it is late again ): I want to try and make it the best I can!  
> Sorry for any mistakes and I hope this doesn't jump around too much lol  
> Thanks for reading! <3

Chapter 12:

“Long time no see, mop-head.” Jean’s insult nearly passed right over Eren’s head because he was too focused on everything BUT Jean. 

The two hadn’t worked together in a long time, on purpose of course, courtesy of Marco. Marco only had them work together when there was absolutely no other option since he knew the two had a tendency to antagonize each other. Marco was close to both guys, who were also very good workers, so keeping them separated was the only acceptable option. Eren had forgotten the last time he worked with Jean, he was just grateful for the break while he had other things stressing him out in life. 

Eren calmly looked up at Jean and just stared at the smug face, watching confusion cross over it from his lack of emotion. 

 

“You want to tell me why you’re keeping track?” Eren replied calmly, very out of character, before returning to making the drink that was just ordered. 

 

Jean scoffed, “Keeping track? More like can’t get that obnoxious voice out of my head whenever I have to work with you. It’s hard to miss that.” He thought that was a good comeback, but Eren just set the finished drink on the counter for the customer, smiled, and told them to have a good day.

 

“That’s nice” Eren was too distracted to worry about petty confrontation with Jean. 

 

It was two days until the operation. That was hard to believe. A week ago, a week felt like such a long time. Now, not so much. Eren hadn’t gotten in as many training sessions as he would have liked, the reason being Levi would force him to go home and sleep. It was obvious to his boss he was essentially ready and keeping up his health was the most important thing at this time, but Eren wanted to work more. Obviously, there was no need for any possible distractions like a runny nose; one sniffle in the wrong place could alert Reiner of their positions, but Eren thought preparation was more important. He’d just drink more orange juice or something. Alas, Levi was firm in making sure Eren got enough rest to keep him alert despite protests from the newbie. 

 

Order after order came and went, all the while Eren was thinking of what he could do tonight since Levi told him he wasn’t allowed to train for his mental and physical health. He’d been training non-stop as much as he could to prepare and it had been consuming him. Two days ago when he came home he almost jumped on Mikasa when she said hello because he didn’t expect her to be home yet. That earned him a well-deserved punch to the shoulder.  
She told Levi the next time he was picking up Eren and that’s mostly why he ended up with a day off. Either Levi didn’t want Eren’s paranoia to get him killed or he knew to listen to Mikasa.  
All in all, the last thing Eren really wanted was to have time off. 

There was always going over the plan in his head for the 3 millionth time. Or memorizing the distance between each possible escape route behind their building. Each were possibly the most superfluous things, but he needed to be practicing or working on something. The worst feeling was being useless; not working when you could be and feeling like you should be doing something, but you don’t know what. 

 

Focusing on preparing food was probably the most he could do to keep himself busy. He was on kitchen duty today, making the drinks and food. Although slow, it was enough to distract him. It often felt monotonous, their top five most popular items the ones most requested. Eren was soon swamped with several orders of slightly different lattes. Until close, he threw himself into work. 

 

“You were real quiet today, dude, you okay?” After closing up the register, Connie spoke up to Eren with genuine concern. 

 

“Yeah, I’m good. Just one of those days, I guess.” It wasn’t exactly not the truth. Eren wiped down the counter beside his friend with a damp cloth, clearing up the last of the mess he created while he worked. It was very similar to his kitchen strategy at home. 

 

“Ah, yep, I get you.” Connie smacked his shoulder in a friendly way to show his support. “Hope tomorrow’s better for you.” 

 

Eren nodded, “Thanks, Connie.” He’d been able to handle Connie’s usually powerful shoulder smacks better since training, at least he noticed it was working.

 

“Anytime! We can grab food sometime soon, get your mind off things.” He pointed at him with a happy grin.

Connie was a good guy, even though he had no idea what was going on, he was just there to support. Eren couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s great attitude. It soon melted into an annoyed frown when he heard Jean’s loud mouth pipe up.

 

“He’s probably just mad a girl rejected him.” Jean decided it was time for his input, appearing with a broom from the back, headed to sweep up under the tables. 

Instead of getting fired up like he once might have, it almost made him laugh considering what he now knew about himself. He pictured Levi, particularly him kissing Levi, and immediately grinned slyly. The thought, combined with Jean’s dumbass comment, actually did end up forcing a chuckle out of Eren in the end. 

Jean gave him a ‘what the fuck, dude?’ look in his direction.

 

“You’re just so funny, Jean.” Eren shook his head, his sarcasm thick enough for even Jean to pick up on, and kept cleaning up. “Connie, I’ll let you know when I’m free and we can hang out.” Connie nodded, giving a thumbs up as he headed into the back room to put stuff away.

Eren was content with how sufficiently surprised Jean was by his reaction.

 

“You’re weird, Jaeger.” He apparently wasn’t ready to drop the subject. So, Eren would give him what he wasn’t expecting—the truth.

 

“Tell me, Jean, have you ever seen me in a relationship with a girl?” Eren turned around and leaned a hand on the nearest table as he looked across the café to who he was arguing with.

He wasn’t afraid or uncertain any longer. Mikasa had to be the first to know, and she already did. So nothing mattered anymore especially not Jean. Why would he even care what Jean thought? Telling Mikasa cleared his mind immensely, so this was just fun. 

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jean continued sweeping, brushing the pile of debris into the dust pan and dumping it into the nearest trash can.

 

“Have I ever been in a relationship with a girl?” Eren asked again, raising an eyebrow, still staying put, determined to get Jean to understand. It was obvious Jean was losing his patience.

 

“How am I supposed to know? You’ve been on some dates… You and Sasha have talked… What do you mean?” He was oblivious still. 

 

“Don’t you think I would have already dated Sasha by now?”

 

“Maybe she turned you down” He joked with a smirk, thinking he once again gained a mythical upper hand.

 

“I think you and I both know that’s not the case. We’re the closest in the café.” Eren didn’t know how much more obvious he could be, but apparently what he was trying to hint at was not being picked up. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re getting at here, Jaeger, you’re not making any sense.” Eren was talking to a brick wall. 

Eren let a frustrated breath out. Apparently he’d have to spell it out for him. 

 

“I haven’t dated any girls.” Eren stated plainly, about to follow up, when Jean cut him off,

 

“My point proven, you’re in a mood ‘cuz you can’t get a girl” Again, he laughed and looked straight at Eren.

 

“I’m not interested in girls, Jean.” 

It came out in one swift, flat, deadpan with hardly a second thought.  
And so, the second person knew he was gay.

Eren took one look at the realization hitting his coworker and walked into the back to clock out and head upstairs. A certain satisfaction resided in his chest. He hardly waited for Jean to finish his stupid comment before blurting out the truth and leaving him to ponder it. Maybe that would get him off his back for a while, now that he had something to mull over.

Eren hung up his apron and pushed his way out the back door to head upstairs, a proud smirk spreading onto his face. 

 

“Hey Mikasa” He said as he stepped into the apartment. This time no scaring and no punching. 

 

“I’m monitoring you for your night off” Was his sister’s greeting.

 

“It’s 6:00pm, what could I possibly do now?” Eren plopped onto the couch beside Mikasa who was watching their favorite, HGTV. 

 

“I’m making sure you relax. So stay put, what do you want for dinner?” She headed for the kitchen almost immediately, knowing he’d be hungry.

 

“Do we have leftover chicken from last night?” He called to her.

 

“Yup, I’ll heat up some and throw some salad together, too.” 

 

“Thanks.” Eren hated waiting and being forced to do nothing when he needed to be ready for something important. 

His fingers tapped on the armrest of the couch, his restlessness already burning in his limbs. How was he supposed to just do nothing? This mission had too much resting on it for him to just sit around. Eren’s leg started bouncing the more his mind stirred up. 

 

“What do you want to drink?” Mikasa asked, only another temporary distraction.

 

“Um, water is fine” Eren settled his hand down only to grip the armrest tightly in an attempt to steady something in his head.

 

Mikasa handed him his dinner moments later and he ate it while they commented on their show as usual. This is how their nightly routine had gone before the Survey Corps happened to Eren. Before he met Levi all those weeks ago trying to be a good person. He couldn’t believe his stupidity at the time, how he couldn’t move or speak. But, he admitted to himself now it had little to do with being scared and much more to do with being entranced by the handsome, short, man he thought to be a criminal. 

Eren had been so enchanted by Levi from the start. Those feelings he had, they were so new and so much stronger than anything he’d felt yet. It became addicting from that first moment. He wanted to do anything to keep that feeling for longer, it reminded him of why life was so exciting. He hadn’t been able to think of anything that wasn’t Levi or the mission in so long he forgot how to. Normal nights like this seemed so foreign. He was completely out of touch with his former reality, how to exist without the excitement (and fear) that Levi and the Survey Corps brought to his life. 

He glanced at Mikasa just sitting peacefully on the couch, eyes on the screen in front of them, and for a moment he remembered the comfort in coming home at night to relax with nothing much more to think about than what was for dinner. It was a strange feeling. He turned his head back to the television. 

 

“You’re not thinking too much are you? You stopped talking.” Mikasa asked, a skeptical look in her eye. She must have noticed him looking around.

 

“No, not too much” A slight understatement, “Maybe we should try buying a fixer upper next.” He hoped to change the subject. It would make him seem less suspicious to talk about what he was supposed to be thinking about.

 

“Yeah, with what time?” That was too easy. His sister was probably just appeasing him at this point. It was her job tonight to keep your mind off of work after all. 

 

“Right… And money.” 

 

Eren tried his best to fake not thinking about the mission and throw out comments now and then for the next couple of hours. Mikasa always showered between 9:00 and 10:00 then went to bed because she worked in the morning. He just had to let himself ‘try’ to relax until then. His whole body hummed feeling like he should be doing something else, but he fought it the best he could. 

 

His sister began flipping, a sign she was getting bored enough to up and head to the shower.

And sure enough,

 

“Alright I’m going to shower, you better not start doing pushups or something.” She tossed the remote beside him and made the ‘I’m watching you’ hand motion from her eyes to him. 

 

He rolled his eyes, “I don’t need that kind of training.” 

 

“Well whatever it is you do to train, don’t do it.” She had her stern voice in place, “You know what? Call Armin. He deserves to know as much as I do now and you can’t put it off until you see him next. You know that will make him upset.” She gave him a look, but he was already aware that he still needed to tell Armin. 

A small feeling of guilt brewed in the back of his head realizing he told Jean that he was gay before he ever told Armin, his best friend.

 

“I’ll call him right now, don’t worry. Even though I doubt it’ll be actually big news to him, he knows everything.” Eren mused, taking out his phone anyway. 

She left the room when Eren put the ringing phone up to his ear. Suddenly his heart was actually beating fast. Why was he nervous? It was only Armin. He took a deep breath when he heard the small “Hello?” at the other end. When Eren didn’t respond right away, Armin spoke up again, “Eren? Hello? Did you butt dial me?” 

 

“Hi, Armin, It’s me, and no I didn’t butt dial you, sorry.” Eren replied. He didn’t know why this was such a big deal.

 

“Okay, well what’s up?” You could hear running water in the background, like he was washing dishes or about to jump in the shower.

 

“Um, well, if you’re busy I can call you back later?” Eren threw out, knowing subconsciously he probably wanted that to be the case. 

 

“No, no, I have time, did you need to talk about something?” Armin noticed the uneasiness in his voice, “Is everything okay?” Eren suddenly felt bad for worrying him and took a deep breath, Armin’s worry managed to quash Eren’s nerves. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Armin was expecting it to be. A small smile formed at Eren’s lips. 

 

“Yeah everything’s fine, this won’t take long, I just… uh…” Eren couldn’t find the right words. How did you even do this? “Well, you know, I haven’t really ever dated anyone before and I um, I seem to have figured out why.” Eren heard Armin’s small chuckle on the other side of the phone. “What?” Eren asked a little defensively.

 

“N-Nothing, keep going, sorry.” Armin muffled his amusement. 

 

“I told Mikasa you would already know.” Eren knew what was happening, Armin’s little giggle was because of Eren’s flustered, long winded explanation of something Armin already knew. “I’m gay. And yes, I know now. Sorry for taking so long to figure out what you already knew.” Eren joked.

 

“I hope you aren’t offended by me laughing, you were just being so funny all worried about it. I had my thoughts, of course, but I couldn’t be completely sure until you told me yourself. I just knew you’ve hardly ever even looked at girls.” His friend explained.

 

“Before I got on the phone I told Mikasa you probably already knew, so I’m not offended.” Eren said, “I just didn’t realize it was as obvious to everyone as it was when I didn’t even know…” 

 

“Well it wasn’t, not to everyone. Just us.”

 

“Mikasa thought so, too?” Eren rolled his eyes. There was silence from the blond on the other end of the phone. Eren just sighed heavily in response. Armin laughed again.

 

“So, if you’re going to tell me that you’re gay… Are you going to tell me how you found that out?” Armin’s voice turned mischievous and Eren was thankful he couldn’t see the red hue spreading across his cheeks. 

 

“U-Uh… Um…”

 

“Spill. Who?” Eren heard Armin’s excitement growing. 

 

Eren mumbled a response into his phone and switched ears, pacing around the room.

 

“What? I didn’t hear you.” Armin was going to force him to say it again.

 

“My boss.” Eren breathed it out. 

 

“Marco?!” Shocked, Armin shouted into his ear. 

 

“No! No not Marco. From my other job.” Eren held his breath for his friend’s reaction.

 

“Are you dating your boss?” Armin sounded shocked again. 

 

“No, I—it’s—we… It’s complicated.” Eren just settled for the same thing he told Mikasa, “There’s something there, but I don’t know for sure what yet. There’s an important thing coming up for our work that we have to figure out first before feelings.” Eren explained.

 

“Huh” Armin just said thoughtfully. “Is he hot?” Armin’s forward question brought a blush back to Eren’s face.

 

“Armin!” Eren protested.

 

“What? I’ve never once gotten to talk to my best friend about a crush in all the years that we have been friends, so spill. Oh my god… if it’s your boss how old is he? Are you going to get fired? Is he?” His friend started to go off on a tirade of thought.

 

“That’s the complicated part and he’s only a few years older than me! Why do you guys assume he’s an old man?” Eren asked, alluding to Mikasa’s similar outburst, “And… He’s… Well he’s the most attractive person I’ve ever seen.” Eren smiled, finding talking about him easier than he thought.

 

“Okay I’m good with that. Is he nice to you?” There’s the protective Armin firing off more questions.

 

“Yes, I wouldn’t like him if he wasn’t.” That was pretty much a lie to Armin and himself considering the circumstances he fell for him under—a fake criminal threatening his life and all.

 

“Also good. When do I get to meet him?” The hopefulness in his voice made it hard for Eren to immediately shut him down. Mikasa had met him, even if by accident, that meant Armin had to as well.

 

“I’m not sure… maybe we can arrange something once I’m sure of whatever we have between us.”

 

“You better. What’s Mikasa think?” 

 

“You can talk to her about that one. She’ll probably tell you more of her true feelings. I’ll tell her to call you or something.” 

 

“Alright, well I have to finish the dishes, so you text or call me if anything happens. You have to promise me you will, I’m invested in this as your best friend I’m basically in this relationship as well.” Eren smiled, he was lucky to have the people that he did.

 

“I promise.” 

 

“Pinky promise.”

 

“We’re on the phone, Armin.”

 

“I don’t care hold it up or something.” 

 

Eren did as he was told, holding up his pinky in the air and promising to update Armin with anything that happens. They said their goodbyes and Eren was smiling, happy from the interaction. It couldn’t have gone better.  
Not like he thought it wouldn’t go well.

Eren folded his arms across his chest, frowning suddenly. There was nothing else to do besides think about what was to come now. The apartment was silent apart from the hum of the shower still running and the quiet talking of the t.v. He stood there next to the couch, letting his eyes smooth over the place from the tan walls, to the hand-me-down brown couch, to the pale carpet. It felt like home, but it also felt like he was missing something. 

 

He alternated between watching t.v on the couch and pacing around the apartment until he finally gave up and forced himself to go to bed. Luckily, talking with Armin took up a nice chunk of time but it was still torture. His teammates were probably preparing and he wasn’t there for it. Even Oluo was probably getting ready.  
Eren tossed and turned for what felt like an eternity, his own bed no longer comforting, but restricting. His whole house felt like a cage. 

 

In the midst of his torment, he managed to drift to sleep somehow. But apparently not for long--

 

“Eren” He jumped up at the sound of his name scrambling to sit up. Once his eyes adjusted, his heart kicked into gear.

Levi sat on his bed, looking at him through the dim room. Eren blinked at him.

It wasn’t the first or even second time this had happened, but it had been a while since Eren was awoken by his boss coming to his room. All he could do was let his mind adjust for a second. He stared at Levi, his uncharacteristic appearance threw Eren off as well making him wonder whether he was really here or not. Levi was much more casual, in skinny legged black sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Eren admired him for as long as he felt he could before he had to speak.

 

“Levi?” It was like his mind finally caught up to reality, “What are you doing here?” Eren rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming or seeing things. “I thought it was supposed to be my night off.” Sleepiness made him even more confused. Levi ran a hand though the loose hair on his head.

 

“It was, but technically it’s morning now.” Levi glanced at the clock besides Eren’s bed where Eren’s eyes followed just after. Sure enough, it read 2:34am. 

 

“Oh, that’s sneaky.” Eren commented, turning his attention back to the man sitting on his bed. “What’s going on?”

 

“I can’t stop thinking about the mission.” His honesty was sobering, pulling Eren’s mind back together from sleep mode. 

 

“Me either, honestly.” Eren agreed. “Mikasa hasn’t really let me this evening, though.” He added a lighthearted quip in there. 

 

“Good that’s what tonight was for.” Levi’s lips curved up, just barely, before straightening back out into a hard line, “but I mean it… There’s a lot of ways this could go and I can’t stop thinking about the possibilities” His face looked tired, like he had been up with it in his mind all night, or for several nights. “I can’t let you get hurt.”

 

“Levi, everything is going to be fine. You’re leading us and we have a nearly foolproof plan.” Eren inched closer, facing the man sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at his floor. 

 

“Nearly. That’s the problem, you never know how these things will pan out. No matter how thorough.” His voice was low. “You and Mikasa should leave your apartment and go stay with Armin while this goes down.” His sudden suggestion took Eren aback. 

 

“You know I can’t do that…” He said softly, “I’m a part of this mission, I know the area the best. I don’t want my team to go out there without me helping in any way I can.” Eren opposed his idea immediately.

 

“It’s dangerous, Eren.” Levi tightened his hands into fists on his knees. 

 

“I know.”

 

Levi turned to him then and put a hand to his cheek, “I-I don’t want to lose you.” It felt like every nerve was vibrating in his cheek at the contact. His hand was cold. “The idea of you getting hurt has been eating away at me.”

 

Eren covered his hand with his own, “Everything is going to be fine. You’ve been kicking my ass in training like you promised, I‘m ready for this.” 

 

Levi’s face softened, “There you go.” 

 

Eren’s eyebrows pulled together and he sat back a bit. His boss had a light smug smile on his face and a content look in his eye.

 

“Uh… What?” That was not what he expected.

 

“Stop freaking out because you are ready for this. You and I both know that now.” He was firm, but still gentle like his voice before. Eren could tell it was genuine. 

 

“You came all the way to my house in the middle of the night to get me to realize I’m ready?” Eren was dumbfounded. “I thought you wanted me to sleep…” Eren’s thought trailed off.

 

“You had to have that realization before it was too late. Then I would lose you, and I’m not letting that happen. All of what I said before is true, Eren. I didn’t just say things to get you to open your damn eyes for once.” Eren was almost going to go on the offensive before he said that. 

 

“I—“ Eren didn’t know how to respond still, but felt he had to speak up.

 

“I’m not losing you Eren and it was about time you started acting like you weren’t going to let that happen.” Levi held Eren’s chin in his hand to make sure he was looking directly at him. “I can lose my job, I can lose my car, I can lose this mission, but not you.”

Eren’s chest tightened at the meaning behind what Levi said. His eyes studied Levi’s features, the warmth within him too strong for words yet. He smiled. Levi cared about keeping Eren safe, so much so that he went out of his way to make Eren realize his own strength to put forth in the mission. 

 

“Well, if you’re going to go that far…” Eren asked, “I do have one question for you.” Eren prepared himself for what he would say next.

 

“And that is?” Levi dropped his hand from Eren’s face and waited patiently for his subordinate’s next move.

 

“Are you ever going to tell me what this is? What you feel?” Eren asked, suddenly timid. “I know you say you don’t want to lose me, but how do I know you don’t do the same for the others… I just...” It was always on Eren’s mind. “I need to hear it straight.”

Levi’s mouth curved slightly up into a small smile. 

 

“Technically, I’ll never be able to give it to you straight” Levi snuck a wink in. Eren’s body went rigid. At least that confirmed one question. Eren’s next thought was along the lines of ‘he can give it to me any way he wants’ and he felt his face heating up. Levi looked at him like he knew exactly what was going through Eren’s head in that moment.

 

“After the mission.” Levi stated. Eren was visibly disappointed, but he understood Levi still didn’t want anything to interfere with their operation. Any more than it already had.  
“But, I’ll give you a hint…” Levi’s voice sounded smooth again, the tone that made Eren’s interest skyrocket. “I’m sure this is what was on your mind just a second ago… how inappropriate…” Levi’s smooth voice dripped with seductiveness, lowering in volume and tone. Eren bit down on his lower lip hard. 

 

Levi grabbed the back of Eren’s head and pulled his mouth to his, pressing them together. He melted against him, moving closer, not wanting it to stop. And it didn’t.

Eren placed his hand on the back of Levi’s neck mid-kiss, running his fingers over the short hair of his undercut. Levi didn’t protest, instead, his other hand grabbed a handful of Eren’s ‘mop head’ locks to secure him close. This kiss definitely felt different than the others—more desperate, trying to convey a clear message that Levi’s words hadn’t clarified yet. Although it would still be fuzzy to Eren until he heard it word for word, this would do for now.

The feeling of being so close sent adrenaline rushing throughout Eren’s body. His hands dropped onto Levi’s shoulders and then slid down to his upper arms, brushing his last two fingers on the exposed skin left out by his short sleeves. He gripped tight to feel the muscle and caused Levi’s grip on his hair to tighten in response. 

Eren almost jumped when he felt Levi’s cold hands smooth their way down his bare chest, nails dragging lightly. He swallowed back a noise threatening in the back of his throat, holding tighter to Levi. Once Levi’s hands were low enough, Eren threw his arms around his neck. They were closer than ever now and Eren didn’t want to let go.

They hadn’t realized how they got into the position they were in until Eren paused to look at Levi’s face, since one of his favorite expressions of his boss’ was the one on he made after kissing. A blush rose to his cheeks once he realized he’d climbed his way into Levi’s lap. When he tried to move, Levi gripped his hips tighter sending butterflies throughout Eren’s stomach. Levi held Eren’s gaze without wavering. The passion behind it was almost enough to knock the breath out of Eren. He was beautiful. The way his hair fell, the dip of his nose, the curl of his lip. Eren was a goner from the start and now there was no going back.

 

“You need to sleep. That was the whole reason for your night off.” Levi said in a voice that was almost a whisper, gruff from the kiss.

 

“This is better than sleep.” Eren’s foggy mind was clouded by Levi as he went to kiss his boss again. Nothing else felt like it mattered in that moment.

 

He was stopped before he could this time, “Eren” Hearing his name in Levi’s deep voice gave him chills, “Get your mind back on the mission.” Levi was trying hard to keep his own mind clear. It was unusual for him to not be in complete control of himself, but Eren had such an impact on him and he had no idea how. 

 

“Not yet…” Eren touched a hand to the side of Levi’s head and leaned in slowly, giving Levi his own chance to deny if he really didn’t want it. Though he had the feeling he wouldn’t. 

And he didn’t.

 

Levi let Eren kiss him again. And again.

 

This was the first time Eren was able to get Levi to let his guard down. Every other time he stopped their interaction before it got too far—like when he pushed Eren off before their dinner. Now, Levi’s hands gripped Eren’s bare back, his nails digging into his tanned skin when Eren bit down on his lower lip mid-kiss. A small grunt escaped Eren at the feeling. That drove Levi crazy, hearing the small noise only made him want to get more out of his subordinate. In an attempt to do so, Levi returned the favor and captured Eren’s lower lip between his teeth, biting down carefully and dragging his teeth along until he let go. 

The look on Eren’s face was priceless. His eyes shining, mouth parted, breathing heavy. No noise still. He was going to have to try harder. 

This only solidified that Levi really had been concerned about something happening to Eren. His emotions were tangible in every touch, kiss, and movement. Eren’s whole body buzzed with feeling, finally getting past the barrier that he had been stuck behind. His breath grew ragged as his skin heated up. He could feel Levi’s breathing was the same with every small part of the lips. 

Eren could hardly help himself anymore. As they kissed like they were starved of each other, his fingers slipped under the hem of Levi’s shirt, touching his smooth skin underneath. He paused to sense if there was any change in Levi’s demeanor. Thankfully, his response was a shudder and another deep kiss that recaptured Eren’s bottom lip. Eren reveled in getting such a reaction out of his boss who was usually so strong and reserved in emotion. He took every chance he had to get that out of him. 

 

He lifted Levi’s T-shirt higher slowly, running his hands over the strong muscles on his stomach. His desire was consuming him. Levi just leaned back momentarily to rip the shirt off over his head and looked at Eren, the same desire in his steel eyes with a flush to his face that made Eren’s insides tighten. Levi watched, amused, as Eren’s green eyes went wide, slowly looking down the pale, muscled, torso in front of him. 

 

“Wow” Eren’s breath was taken, but he didn’t have much longer to gape before Levi’s lips were back with his. He had dreamed one too many times about Levi shirtless and now there he was for real, in front of him. 

 

Levi took Eren’s wrists into his hands and flipped the two of them so Eren’s back hit the bed and he was staring up into glossy, dark grey eyes and red tinted cheeks. Levi panted through parted lips and took this moment to let his eyes wander over Eren. 

 

“What have you done to me, Eren Jaeger?” Levi said breathily and sat back onto his heels. Eren scrambled to sit up in front of him, still disoriented and brain clouded. He wanted more, but it wasn’t an ideal situation or time, so he knew they wouldn’t. 

 

“I’d ask you the same question” Eren wiped his mouth and couldn’t stop the smile forcing through. 

 

“The first time I met you I knew you’d be trouble, but I didn’t think like this” He raised an eyebrow at the disheveled man he was talking about.

 

“I was hoping like this…” Eren looked to the side at his small confession. 

 

“I had known that much, that’s why you were fun to mess with” Levi smirked, “I thought I’d be able to control it” He scoffed, “that didn’t happen.”

Eren blushed at how easily Levi accepted that he knew his emotions from the start, thankfully it wasn’t noticeable from his already reddened face. He decided to just play with it.

 

“Hey I thought I was just helping someone carry something heavy, how was I supposed to know you were ridiculously attractive? You were the one that started toying with me in the first place…” Eren challenged. 

 

“Because I saw the look on your face. You wanted me.” Levi’s mouth twisted into a devilish smirk. 

 

“I want you now.” Eren’s bravery, and delusions from lust, didn’t let him hold back. Levi’s eyes shone, his tongue swiping over his top lip following with a swift bite of his lower lip at Eren’s statement. 

 

“You’re making waiting until after the mission very difficult.” Levi’s eyes darkened.

 

“Waiting for what?” Eren asked, basically feigning innocence. 

Levi leaned in, running his pointed finger up his neck and under his chin,

 

“Bending you over this bed.” Eren’s face immediately flushed again at the silky words. That wasn’t the answer he expected, but now his mouth watered and his body ached for just that. Eren could only groan helplessly at Levi’s words.

 

“Ugh Levi…” He whined. Levi smirked and contained how much that whine killed him. 

 

“Eren…” Levi purred mimicking Eren, leaning in to kiss his cheek, “I’ll see you bright and early for training tomorrow.” Levi said. Eren was being tortured. Despite being so turned on he couldn’t think, fatigue washed over him at the mention of ‘bright and early’. He flopped back onto his bed and rubbed his eyes. Levi stood up, composed, and kissed Eren’s forehead.

 

“Once the mission is over, there’s nothing stopping me.” Levi whispered right beside Eren’s ear. Eren groaned and pressed his palms over his eyes.

 

“If you don’t leave soon, I’m not letting you.” Eren warned. Levi chuckled and left the room then.

 

Maybe Eren wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.


	13. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission is being executed, but things don't go as smoothly as Eren hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I'm sorry! This one took a long time because I was trying to get it perfect and since we are gettin down to the nitty gritty here I had to rearrange a few things and.... it took a while.. so thank you for your patience!  
> I honestly really enjoy many parts of this chapter and I hope you enjoy them too ahhh (: i wish i could scream along with you guys!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> <3

Chapter 13

 

Today.

The mission began tonight.  
Eren’s hands sweat from adrenaline whenever he thought about it. In the last week, the plan repeated itself in his brain on a constant loop. There was no way he could screw this up, he had it down pat by now. 

Work ends. Go upstairs to wait with the others. Watch for Levi’s car to pull up. Head down and split off with Petra and Oluo. Stay on the side by the stairs. Wait for Levi’s hand signal. Approach Reiner and get him to surrender. 

Just like clockwork, a loop of each step of the plan would play with the most precise detail he could muster—all the way down to which steps outside were creaky. Unnecessary? Yes. Overthinking? Yes. Should he probably learn how to keep his cool? Also yes. But, Eren was not the type to do anything halfway and definitely not when it came to something he was this passionate about. He felt emotions with his whole being; he wasn’t one to let go or get things off of his mind easily. It was like a trap where anything from grudges, strong emotions, or important thoughts got stuck. 

The mission happened to encompass each one of those, meaning he was doomed to keep the cycle going until they executed the plan and the criminal was behind bars. 

 

He inhaled deeply, the heavy scent of leather bringing him back to the situation. He was in Levi’s spotless car as they circled the block before he went into work. 

 

“Keep your eye out for anything out of the ordinary” Levi looked around the best he could while driving slowly, “Point out anything you think I should know about.” 

The two were circling the block in order to make on last calculating sweep of the area the mission would be carried out in specifically to notice if Reiner or crew had made any changes or if some small detail was over looked. Eren stared intently out of the window of the corvette, analyzing the place most familiar to him.

 

“Well that building, the one there—“ 

“There?” Levi pointed to the one directly behind the bookstore.

 

“No, the one next to that, on the left, it has a fire escape, I don’t know if you saw it. They could hide there, I mean, it’s on the far side so it might not be an issue, but just in case” Levi nodded once in response while Eren kept scanning.

 

“The one right beside the bookstore has an entrance to the basement from the outside, but I think it’s always been locked…” Eren pointed it out on the second loop around. 

 

“We’ll have to double check that when we come back around, same with the fire escape. We can’t have any surprises.” 

 

Eren couldn’t think of any other mentionable characteristics during their third loop, so Levi pulled back into the parking lot of the bookstore, effortlessly sliding between two faded yellow lines. 

 

“Let’s check out that basement door first” Levi started heading in that direction with Eren at his side.

Eren couldn’t help but let his eyes drift to his left, and down, to the top of his boss’ head during their short walk. A smile threatened at his lips as the thought that Levi’s size was actually adorable crossed his mind. Eren had only thought of the word ‘adorable’ about twice in his life; considering he had no pets and there weren’t any babies around, there wasn’t much else in the world that was considered adorable—Sasha’s dog was adorable, a golden lab puppy, and the other time he could come up with was when he, Mikasa, and Armin went on a small vacation to a lake nearby and Armin fell in the chilly water with a yelp that turned into a laugh. He was drenched, his long blonde hair dripping wet, and his clothes now sandy, but nevertheless a smile on his face. The whole scene was adorable. 

Now he was smiling fondly at Levi who, to most people, would most likely not be referred to as adorable. He definitely wasn’t used to thinking a man was adorable, but Eren couldn’t help it.  
With a blush, he diverted his gaze to the original task, not wanting to explain why he was staring at Levi’s head so long. 

As the two walked up on the two doors, there was visibly a large lock between the handles.

 

“That looks pretty damn locked to me” Eren raised an eyebrow down towards the entrance. 

Levi yanked up his suit coat sleeves and leaned down to yank at a handle. Sure enough, it didn’t do anything other than jostle the thick chain. They were definitely locked. 

 

“That’s good. I’ll still mention it to Eld and Gunther though, since they’re on this side. It’s worth noting as a possibility.” 

Next stop was the fire escape on the building behind the one with the outdoor basement entrance. It was a problem because there was a ladder reaching the ground; it could make for a hiding spot of one of Reiner’s group and they’d have the advantage of high ground. 

 

“Tch” Levi frowned at the metal ladder hanging from the platform. “We have to put this up somehow… We can’t let this be an option.” He walked around it to assess the situation with a hand to his chin as he thought.

 

“Does it just fold? Or slide up?” Eren asked; He had little experience with a fire escape. 

 

“Good question.” Levi’s eyes trailed up the length of the ladder.

 

“Maybe if you…” Eren trailed off as he pressed upwards on one of the rungs closest to his height, shoving it with all the strength he had “Okay that didn’t work. It doesn’t seem to just slide up” He shook his now-reddened hands out.

 

“Try your other option, does it swing back on a hinge?” 

Eren shoved the ladder and sure enough it lifted off the ground. He was only just tall enough to press it up to the bottom of the platform it hung from. 

 

“What’s the problem, Eren, why are you still holding onto it?” Levi looked at Eren’s outstretched frame, even pressing onto his tip toes.

 

“I don’t know how to secure it” He said, desperately looking for a way to connect it as he danced on his feet to keep this awkward position.

 

“They probably tie a rope around it or something looking at how old it is.” Levi walked to the other side of Eren, “Hang on, here’s a latch, lower it a little so I can open it.” 

The two configured it and finally Eren was able to lower his arms and fix his shirt that bunched up. 

 

“That should do it!” Eren stated proudly. 

 

“Yeah, looks like we’ve ruled out those as easily accessible, hiding spots” Levi checked his phone from his pocket to see the time. “You have to go into work.” 

 

Eren felt the tiniest bit of dread seep into his bones. He didn’t want to spend the whole night working while the fast-approaching mission was the only thing he was capable of thinking about. 

 

“I should have just called off…” Eren slumped a little. 

 

“So that you could sit in your apartment and overthink all day? That’s not the best idea.” Eren knew Levi was right. 

The team wasn’t meeting today because everyone needed to prepare and rest up in their own right. Levi also had to make sure he was prepared, he had the hardest part. He had no time to conduct any kind of meeting. His portion of the plan began before anyone else’s.

 

“But now I have to sit and worry all day at work.” Eren looked at Levi.

 

“At least it is some distraction. I made sure you didn’t have the day off so that you wouldn’t make yourself insane” They walked back to Levi’s car, the “You told me yourself you were ready, don’t make that a lie.” He referred to their exchange the other night.

 

“I was trying to comfort you so it was not entirely the tru—“

 

“Eren”

 

“Right, right, I know. Sorry.” As a habit, he chewed on his lower lip and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “I know this mission from the inside out.” He could at least say that confidently. 

 

“I know.” The faith Levi had for him gave him more strength. He showed a half-smile up at Eren, “Remember, you have to get through this mission if you want to hear what I have to say to you” Great, he was using it as some sort of ‘stay alive’ motivation as if that wasn’t already the goal. 

 

“I will already be trying to stay alive, Levi” Eren playfully rolled his eyes.

 

“Sometimes you can get reckless if your emotions get the best of you, just keep it in mind.” Levi turned to reach for his car door, but Eren moved faster. Without thinking, he jumped in front of him and grabbed the door, opening it for his boss. He smiled as he swept his arm towards the door in an ‘enter’ motion. Levi let out a brief chuckle at his attempt at being chivalrous, but appreciated it more than he let on. 

 

“Don’t I get a kiss for my efforts?” Eren tapped his pointer finger on his chin while giving Levi his best rendition of puppy dog eyes over top of the door. 

 

“You’re a pain in the ass, Eren Jaeger” He said with a smile on his lips as he stretched up to give Eren a soft kiss on the cheek. Eren’s expression melted to a genuine smile. 

 

“You love it, Levi Ackerman” Eren winked and watched while his boss slipped into his vehicle. 

 

“Get going, you’re going to be late” Levi put a hand on his door, pausing before shutting it. Eren checked his watch and jumped a little, he was going to be late if he didn’t get moving. “Text me if you need anything” Levi said sincerely, then shut the door and started up the engine. 

Eren waved before sprinting upstairs to get ready and head into work.

 

His fingers drummed the counter beside the register, foot tapping the tile floor. The café wasn’t busy enough to keep his mind occupied. The t.v wasn’t playing anything interesting. One man sat in the café, already sipping on his drink and silently reading a book. The man hadn’t moved for thirty minutes so people watching wasn’t entertaining enough. Sasha didn’t work today either, it was a shame they acted as the same person at work making Marco schedule them opposite each other.

Eren leaned his head into the hand that wasn’t busy tapping away, resting his elbow on the counter. The time ticked by at a snail’s pace, yet there wasn’t much time left. His heart raced faster every time the minute hand on the clock moved. The nerves he felt were in hopes everything goes smoothly, as planned, and excitement to be a part of his first mission to do what he’d always dreamed of—getting the bad guys. He hadn’t lost that part of him along the way. The closer they got, the more anxious he was to do well and to help clear a bad guy out of the way.

 

He’d been staring off into the earthy-colored, plain, bookstore to try and find a source of distraction when a throat clearing made him jump to attention. He must have been really off in his own world to not notice someone walking up. The customer service worker’s instinct kicked in,

 

“Hello, how may I help y—“  
Eren’s eyebrows shot up. In front of his register stood a short, intimidating, man he left only a couple of hours ago. 

Levi stood with his arms crossed, looking unfazed by the approaching event, and waiting for Eren’s reaction. 

 

“L-Levi?” Eren was shocked to see him here. He figured Levi would have been busy with the mission for the rest of the day and wouldn’t be back until he came with Reiner.

 

“I came in for coffee and to make sure you weren’t losing your mind, but by the looks of things you already have” He tilted his head slightly. 

 

“I haven’t!” A lie, “I just zoned out, that’s all... We aren’t very busy. It gets boring.” Eren covered, but obviously Levi knew. He had that eerie way of just knowing what someone was thinking.

 

“Hm” Levi hummed in response, not sounding convinced. 

 

“So, a coffee you said?” In order to change the subject so he wouldn’t get picked on any longer, Eren brought up the other reason Levi said he came here.

 

“Black—I need it to get through tonight.” He hardly looked fatigued, though, the way he stood straight in his dark suit. Eren couldn’t help but take an extra long look at Levi while his boss’ gaze swept the surrounding area. That man looked too good in a suit. Peeling his eyes away, he hurried to make the drink.

Eren set his coffee on the counter and waved him off when he tried to pull his card out.

 

“It’s on me” Eren smiled. Levi just raised his eyebrows in amusement. 

 

“Thank you” He took a sip and didn’t leave the counter yet. “How are you feeling?” He asked after a moment of pause. Apparently Eren wasn’t as convincing as he hoped he was. The cashier’s head snapped to look at Levi. No use in trying to fake it now.

 

“Nervous, but I’ll be fine.” Eren said, managing to mask the true depth of his nerves, “I’m looking forward to catching Reiner” That part was the whole truth, “You know I can’t stand people like him. He needs to be where he can’t hurt anyone anymore” Eren’s face hardened.

 

Levi turned and leaned across the counter, pressing his lips firmly to Eren’s with a hand cupping his cheek “Good answer” He said as he pulled back. “Petra and Oluo will be here soon, trust them, I put you on that side for a reason.”

 

“I will” Eren leaned his forearms on the counter and watched Levi sip his coffee, his eyebrows suddenly pulling together.  
“Uh, Levi?” 

Levi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye to wait for Eren to elaborate.

 

“Why do you hold your cup like that?” Levi was grasping the small mug over the top with every finger and not by the side loop.

 

His boss shrugged, “There’s a better grip this way” 

 

Eren nodded with an intrigued expression, “Interesting”. 

That was a new one, out of the time he has worked at the café, he’s never seen someone hold their coffee like Levi was. 

Despite the distraction, Eren’s eyes found the clock again. He would clock out in twenty minutes. As soon as his eyes had so much as shifted in that direction, Levi placed a reassuring hand over his resting on the counter. The simple gesture put Eren’s mind at ease, just the feeling of Levi’s cold fingers lacing between his calmed him. 

 

“Let’s go get this guy” Eren declared, tightening his hands into fists and looking straight at Levi who had already had his eyes on the newbie. Their locked eyes shared a moment that Eren needed. Looking at Levi gave him the drive to make this mission successful. The aura that his boss gave off was that of trust and confidence. It was a gift of his that he was able to pass this to others. He had this way of making someone sure of themselves even if they weren’t there yet in their own mind. 

Eren knew that was one of the characteristics that made him a great leader. There was no hiding anything with him, it was clear what he said was never just to appease you—it was the truth. It was grounding to know that. When he said he knew Eren was ready, he meant it.

 

“Good luck, Eren. I’ll see you soon.” 

 

His hand slipped off of Eren’s and he walked out, coffee in hand, to prepare for the start of the mission. Eren watched him the whole way, marveling at the way he moved with elegance and intent.

 

He was too wrapped up in watching the way Levi walked to notice Connie come up behind him.

 

“Uh, dude?” Eren whipped around, a blush already covering his cheeks, startled and bracing his hands against the counter for support. His only thought was “Oh god, what did Connie see?”  
His coworker was watching Levi walk out the door as he spoke, “Was that your… boyfriend?” He looked a little taken aback. Eren’s green eyes shot open wide. His mouth opened and closed as he stuttered before blurting out,

 

“What? N-No! No.” Eren shook his head and his dismissal was probably too forced, “No”

 

“Ohh… Okay…” Connie nodded slowly before his face turned mischievous, “Well he’s handsome” he smacked Eren on the back and walked away, leaving him with that. The red burning on Eren’s face rivaled the strawberries behind him for smoothies. 

Eren dropped his face into his hands and exhaled heavily. 

 

Slowly, he dragged his head up and out from behind his palms and looked out the window, watching Levi’s corvette pull away. Nerves gripped him. The only thing he could do now was hope with everything he had that Levi’s end of the deal would go well. Eren’s face softened, he was most worried for Levi’s wellbeing. Eren wouldn’t know what was happening until it was too late. It scared him to not be there, to not know.

He had to trust Levi, he was the professional at this after all and Eren was just the rookie. But this wasn’t questioning his prowess, it was Eren worrying about someone he had grown to have extremely strong feelings for.  
It still sent a jolt through his core thinking about Levi being alone in a dangerous situation. Eren now couldn’t stop counting down the minutes until he would see Levi again. That propelled him from nervous to more anxious, just wanting to get this thing started and over with so he could be back with his--… Levi. 

…Connie was putting things in his head.

 

Fifteen minutes later, as soon Eren clocked out, he threw his apron off barely landing it on the hook in the back room and replied to Connie’s “see ya” as the door was shutting behind him. 

Once he rounded the corner, he spotted his team stood by the stairs waiting for him while making idle chat. A sense of purpose swelled within his chest; they had an important job to do. Determination was all he knew now. He wanted nothing more than to stop this criminal from committing anymore crimes. 

 

“Eren!” Petra caught his eye and smiled as he made his way over, her eyes panned down, “Let’s go, you have to get changed, you can’t wear bright colors” Eren looked down at himself, his khakis and white shirt stood out like a sore thumb among their all black. 

 

“Er—yeah, let’s go upstairs” Eren led the way, letting them all into his apartment. 

 

They filed in and took up positions by windows almost immediately; it was as if they had been living in his apartment. The sudden seriousness struck him. 

Eren flicked on a light for them, but Eld immediately turned it back off.

 

“It’s safer to keep the lights off, no one can see in.” He had a similar to-the-point way of speaking as Levi. Eren guessed that came from working with him for however long they had been. 

 

“Right” That should have been obvious, but it was his first mission. 

 

After the interaction, he headed to his room and wound up throwing clothes all over the floor to find a black long sleeved shirt and black pants. He couldn’t believe he overlooked black clothes. Once his room was sufficiently re-dirtied and he matched his team, he took up his designated post at the window in his bedroom. It was definitely the most uneventful location in the apartment.

 

He was watching the parking lot just to the left of where Eld and Gunther were looking. So, he wasn’t technically looking all alone, but he felt like it being the only one in his small room. Eren chewed on his lower lip while his eyes roamed the dim parking spaces and alleys. There weren’t any cars, as expected from the parking lot of a closed business. This activity was similar to watching paint dry. It was just extra precaution to watch the back since they would be arriving from the front, but Eren wanted nothing more than to be the one with eyes on the front, impatiently wanting to see that Levi made it okay. It frustrated him that he was given this spot even if he understood why—being the newbie and all. 

 

They all knew it was going to be about an hour from when Eren showed up that Levi would show up with Reiner, but it felt like too long. 

 

“Shouldn’t they be here by now?” He asked out into the room, not leaving his designated spot. It had been an hour to the second when Eren asked. 

 

“They’ll get here when they get here” Oluo’s stiff response came and Eren frowned at his attitude. He heard a soft smack noise before Petra spoke up and Eren’s frown twisted upwards—Petra just smacked his arm like she often did when he was being stupid. 

 

“Give them some time, Eren, there’s always some wiggle room when it comes to missions” Her answer actually provided Eren some comfort. His eyes returned to the window.

 

Another several minutes of torture went by and Eren’s brain conjured up several scenarios involving Reiner showing up alone with a wicked grin, hands covered in blood, or a note delivered saying they captured him and they’d have to come to his rescue… He gripped the windowsill tight to force the thoughts out of his head. That wouldn’t help anyone. Eren needed to believe that they would be here any minute so he looked out his window like they would be there in the next second. 

 

He saw a shadow and he jumped forward, almost smacking his forehead into the glass, but it only ended up being a bird. He rolled his eyes at his own impulsivity. But he wouldn’t have much time to calm down after that because Oluo spoke up, 

 

“They’re here” Oluo stated plainly and everyone moved swiftly to the front window, watching as Levi’s corvette pulled in and directly to the back of the building like planned. Eren had almost no time to process it, only felt his heart increase in pace at the sight of the familiar corvette. The chances of Levi being okay heightened.

 

“Back window” Before Gunther could get the full statement out, Eren rushed to the window that Eld and Gunther had been looking from, clearing the room in about four strides, forgetting that Eld was the one supposed to check. He went on impulse to settle the jitter in his limbs. In his rush, Eren hadn’t noticed the curiosity on his partner’s faces. They watched Eren nearly slam into the window, face as close to the glass as possible, hands flat against the cool surface as his eyes tracked the vehicle.  
The parking was key. Levi designated a parking spot in the back as a way for them to know it was still going as planned.  
Eren, after watching the car without blinking, let out the breath he was holding as the corvette parked in the planned spot. Only Levi would know that information, meaning he was okay. Eren turned around and nodded once to signal the completion of this step.

 

“Then it’s time, downstairs, now. Quiet.” Eld’s voice was low and Gunther led the way through the front door, opening it carefully and quietly. Eren followed up last to lock up. He fumbled trying to be as quiet as Gunther had been and closed the door at a snail’s pace to ensure no sound came out. Once closed, Eld pointed down the stairs and received nods in understanding as everyone moved forward. Eren’s extra stairs knowledge turned out to be unimportant as he followed, forgetting the creaking all together.

As soon as they hit the base of the stairs, moving slow and steady, Eld pointed to either side of the bookstore to indicate it was time to split up. Everyone nodded, Eren nodding a second late.

 

The two groups moved to their sides of the building. Eren stuck close behind Petra and Oluo, staying alert for any movement. As they inched along the side of the building they were able to hear Levi and Reiner talking faintly. Eren felt his heart lurch at his boss’ voice. He desperately wanted to see what was going on, but that was Oluo’s job. Oluo pressed himself against the wall right up to the very corner of the building before peering around the edge, holding onto the hope that Levi was able to form the position he said he would where Reiner would be the one with his back to their side so Oluo could keep an eye on what would happen. 

 

When his left eye was just far enough over to catch the slightest glimpse of the two, he signaled with a thumbs up. Eren grinned triumphantly. The plan was still going perfectly; Levi got them into position. Oluo peered around the corner properly now to get a better idea of what was going on. Not able to rush over and see the plan unfold like he had through the window, Eren strained to listen to what they were saying, inching closer to Petra while keeping his back against the wall and out of sight.

 

“Really, Levi?” Reiner’s obnoxious voice said his name. It was like a nail on chalkboard to hear that criminal say it. Eren grit his teeth together. “You want in on the next one?” He seemed to be buying it. Reiner was almost amused, even.

 

“That’s why I brought us here” Eren almost stepped on Petra’s foot trying to move closer once he heard Levi speak clearly, “To neutral territory to discuss letting me in on your next job.” 

 

The voice he used was similar to the voice he played up the first time they met. That deep, seductive, tone that feigned interest and intent. It added to his criminal act. Eren wanted to be the only one to ever get to hear it, but it emphasized this part he was playing. 

 

“Well what do you do now? Word on the street you’re some sort of cop, why should I trust you?” There was a taste of disbelief on Reiner’s tongue.

 

“Something like that” Levi admitted, “But it’s not doing it for me… you know? Not enough money, not enough thrills…” He trailed off.

 

“Is that so?” Reiner questioned his motives again.

 

“What motivation could I have for lying to you, Reiner? I was above you once. If I had reason to get rid of you, I would have by now.” Levi challenged. Eren marveled at Levi’s skill with manipulating Reiner, who snorted in response. 

 

“The famous Levi Ackerman wanting to get back into the good old days, huh?” Eren thought Levi was believable, but Reiner’s voice still sounded skeptical. Eren hoped Reiner wasn’t about to be onto them. He swallowed hard. 

 

“I could use the cash” Levi said easily, “Unless you keep it all”

Eren could hear the accusatory nature of his voice, it changed suddenly. It was possible he could do it now: let Reiner know what they knew. It was up to Reiner as to where this would go, now, if he picked up on the weight behind the accusation. Eren braced for something, anything, planting his feet firmer into the asphalt below him and balling his hands into fists. 

 

“Hah, knew you still had it in you” Eren’s tight shoulders relaxed slightly, Reiner hadn’t questioned him any further. Levi hit right at the weak point and it was like Reiner didn’t even want to go near the subject.

 

“It never left. Now tell me, Reiner, what profits are we looking at?” Levi asked in a smooth voice. He had made it about money since the beginning, a good strategy to not blow the cover. 

 

“Well that all depends on the job…” Reiner really wasn’t about to discuss cash. It was obvious he was hiding something. He didn’t want to throw out too high of a number and give Levi too much money depending on what he wanted to take for himself, nor did he want to guess too low and have Levi question his portion of the earnings. Levi was too street savvy for Reiner to get away with it. 

 

“Come on, you must have something lined up, right?” Eren could hear the eyebrow raise just from the inflection in his voice.

 

“I, Uh, I have a couple possible things going on” He mused. Levi wasn’t one to be outsmarted like some of his cronies that followed him without questioning his lead. 

 

“That’s not the Reiner I remember, have you lost your touch?” Was Levi’s suave comeback. 

 

Reiner just chuckled, brushing it off, “Watch it, Ackerman, I don’t have to let you in.” He joked. 

 

This was Levi’s opportunity, Eren could feel it. Reiner was trying to turn it against Levi for inquiring about pay. He was getting backed into a corner from trying to keep his scam a secret. It was just like any poor liar, turn the one catching onto you into the crazy one. It was an unfortunately common strategy.

 

“Reiner not knowing his plan? What a strange turn of events” Levi teased him, a hint of knowing in his taunts. The devilish grin probably playing on his lips right about now.

 

“As if” He scoffed, “You really think I don’t know? I just don’t have to tell you about the details” Reiner’s excuse was too quick, too sloppy. He just got done saying he wasn’t sure about any jobs lined up. Now here he was, justifying the exact opposite. He was sure Levi caught it.

 

“Oh?” Levi’s demeanor changed again, he was shifting into the agent he was. He definitely caught it. Reiner cleared his throat; he definitely noticed the change.

 

“What?” The bulky blond tried to seem innocent, even a little threatening.

 

“Are you hiding something?” There it was. Levi called him out, still keeping the smoothness in his words. Eren’s face hardened, preparing himself mentally, knowing they were to move in soon.

 

“What?” Reiner repeated in a different tone, shocked, but faking his astonishment “What are you getting at here?” Darkness seeped into his words, daring Levi to keep talking. But, Eren knew Levi would be unfazed by this. 

 

“You’re not telling me what I might be making, that’s a crucial part in my decision.” His voice was ice now, cold and unwavering.

“So you’re trying to question me? You’re the one coming to me asking for a job. Don’t test me.” Reiner raised his voice slightly as he punctuated each word of the last sentence. His anger was increasing partly in attempt to fend Levi off and partly because he had a short fuse.

 

“I have reason to believe you might not distribute the earnings too well” There was no going back from here.

 

His former comrade frowned menacingly, “I don’t know where you’ve heard such rumors”

 

“Oh it’s no rumor” Levi countered in that cocky tone.

 

“You trying to get me to shut you up? Permanently?” Reiner growled. 

 

“I wouldn’t if I were you” 

The sound of shuffling followed Levi’s statement and at the same time Oluo, with his eyes never leaving their boss and the criminal, waved Eren and Petra to move around the corner with him to cover Levi as he carried out the final piece of the puzzle. Once in position, Eren finally had his sights on the man that had been plaguing his mind all day. It was like the world stopped. Levi stood confidently in front of Reiner, expression blank, and Eren was just glad to see that porcelain face still as immaculate as this morning. His heart kicked into gear, but he pressed his shoulders down and kept a strong gaze, hand on the gun at his hip just in case Reiner tried to make any moves. Eren wouldn’t let him put a finger on Levi. 

It was relief seeing Levi unharmed, but Eren wasn’t going to let that lower his guard. 

Levi had pulled the file folder containing the evidence of Reiner’s dishonesty out from the waistband of his pants, hidden by his suit coat, and was now holding it up with a taunting wave back and forth. That was Eren’s group’s cue to take their position where they could see. It was when things could get dicey; Reiner’s reaction was unpredictable. 

 

“What the hell is that?” The criminal growled, eyes flicking back and forth between his former comrade and what he was holding, “Are you trying to intimidate me? Because it isn’t working” He criminal spat. 

 

“I don’t need to. Have a look” Levi calmly tossed the folder onto the ground, the slap signaling Eld and Gunther to move out from around their corner. 

The fact this was more than just a meetup for a job was clear enough for the two to make their presence known. At this point, everyone needed to be prepared for action. Eld and Gunther wielded their pistols low. 

 

Eren watched as Reiner stared at it momentarily before slowly bending down to pick it up, not even noticing the two agents across the parking lot. Levi kept his cool in his usual stance: arms crossed, leaning into one hip. Everyone’s eyes were on Reiner. Eren waited with baited breath as the blond flipped it open and leafed through. With each turn of the page, Eren’s nerves rose. The brown haired, newbie looked like he was ready to pounce into the middle at any second to interfere with any possible negative outcome. 

 

“What the hell is this?” Reiner called out angrily, a few pages in. 

 

“The numbers…. or ‘rumors’” Levi barely bat an eye, “Evidence that you’ve been lying to your comrades about how much money you’ve been getting from your jobs. You haven’t been paying them their fair share because you tell them a lower profit than you really receive. They sometimes get less than half of what you keep” Levi smirked, “I’m sure they wouldn’t be too happy to hear that.” 

 

Eren wished he could see the look on Reiner’s face. He had no idea whether it was anger or fear. 

 

“You bastard” The insult was low and menacing, “You wouldn’t dare” Reiner glared daggers back at Levi after another look at the information.

 

“Wouldn’t I?” Levi countered, only fueling the fire. 

 

The noise that left Reiner was akin to a roar as he violently ripped the folder in half. He continued tearing it to shreds as small as he could muster rapidly, ferociously; the pieces raining onto the ground in tiny white flakes. He threw down the last handful in a huff, grinding his heel into the mess, dirtying the evidence as much as possible before spitting on it. He was breathing heavily after the display. 

 

“That’s only a copy, I’d be careful with your next move” Levi threatened, “You have two options, are you going to listen?” 

 

Reiner stayed silent, staring at the ground. Eren wanted to go into the center more than anything. The tension from Reiner’s inaction made him sure he was going to spring forward with a hidden knife right for Levi’s throat. 

But nothing happened. He stayed still, waiting. Levi took this opportunity. 

 

“Option one this stays our little secret if you turn yourself in… or two, you don’t turn yourself in and I’ll make sure Bertholt and Annie know all about your finances”

 

Reiner was fuming, almost like he was going to tear Levi limb from limb anyway, the veins bulging on his arms from his tightly gripped fists. Levi continued, 

“And if you’ll look around you, even if you kill me, one of them will get that information where it needs to go. That data has been given to everyone in the—“ 

 

“Eren?” 

 

Everything stopped. 

Levi stopped talking. Reiner didn’t move. 

Everyone’s gaze flew to the owner of that name. The silence was deafening. Eren stared wide eyed back at all the pairs of eyes watching him as if in slow motion.  
His mouth dropped open, recognizing the voice instantly.

 

No… not now. She shouldn’t be home yet. She wasn’t supposed to be home yet. 

 

He whipped around to see both Mikasa and Armin standing with bags in their arms looking from the three right in front of them to the two other groups across the parking lot: confused and suddenly scared.

Eren was just about to frantically ask what they were doing here when his blood ran cold—

Click

 

He turned again to see Oluo with his gun aimed at his sister and best friend; strangers to him. Eren’s stomach flipped and he felt like he couldn’t function correctly. There was lead in his limbs and his head felt like he was under water; he only faintly heard his comrade speak to them,

 

“Who are you?” Oluo demanded, “You work for Reiner?” He took a threatening step forward. Armin’s bright blue eyes stretched wide at Oluo’s accusation. Mikasa took a defensive step in front of their friend, switching from startled to angry, dropping her shopping bags to the ground with a crash.

 

“No!” Eren gained more control of his limbs finally and put a hand up to Oluo to stop him, throwing himself in front of the barrel of the gun, “NO!” He was eye level with the end of the gun he was less familiar with and never wanted to become familiar with. Petra had moved next to Oluo and said a few things to try and get him to stop, but she was soon drowned out by their boss,

 

“Oluo, stop!” Levi shouted over to the two, the urgency apparent in his voice. “Put the gun down!” Frustrated, Levi knew he couldn’t go over there right this second. He couldn’t move from Reiner. 

 

“They’re trespassing in our mission!” Oluo yelled back, keeping his pistol directly on Mikasa, “Interfering and tampering with it… How do I know they’re not with Reiner?” The distrust was apparent in Oluo’s eyes. 

 

Mikasa’s attention promptly switched towards the middle of the parking lot at the sound of a familiar voice, eyes wide towards the man that was over at their apartment not too long ago—Eren’s boss,  
“Levi?” She called out in disbelief, face molding into confusion.

 

This definitely wasn’t an office job; but it wasn’t like the two still believed that’s what Eren had been up to.

Armin’s head snapped to his left so fast Eren cold have sworn he’d get whiplash. 

“Levi?” Armin echoed in more ardent surprise, following her gaze to see the man behind Eren’s crush he spilled about over the phone. 

 

His eyes landed on the short, dark haired man in the midst of what looked like something shady. His eyebrows shot up, Levi was much different than he expected. 

 

“What’s going on?” he was able to find words from his confusion. Armin wasn’t about to believe what he immediately thought of upon viewing scene; they still were unaware of the depth of the situation.

 

“Well didn’t this just get interesting” Reiner grinned darkly, “Levi Ackerman’s plan not going perfectly? What a show…” He was getting a kick out of seeing Levi’s perfectly thought out mission have a problem. After getting deceived, this was like watching Levi get his recompense. 

 

Levi sent a sharp glare his way, “If you don’t want to end up on the other end of my gun, you should keep your mouth shut” He pushed his jacket back to reveal the pistol tucked into a holster at his side. His threat was not empty.

 

Reiner’s mouth twisted into a nasty scowl, “Feel free to take care of your own team” He narrowed his eyes at him. 

 

“Eld, Gunther” Levi motioned for them to come and watch Reiner, seizing the open moment. 

 

They hurried and each grabbed an arm, tight. Reiner only attempted minor struggle at the sudden invasion. It was pointless to get away now with what Levi had on him. Eren hardly had the chance to think about how compliant Reiner had been. He briefly wondered if it was because of how much influence Levi had had over him, Bertholt, and Annie back in the day… How powerful had Levi really been? 

The thought process was short lived, there were urgent matters to deal with—Mikasa and Armin needed to get out of here.

 

“Listen, you two need to go” Eren said frantically, looking wildly from the brunette to the blond. 

 

“Wha—“ Mikasa gave him a serious look, concerned, “I’m not leaving here without knowing what’s going on, Eren this is crazy!” Her eyes still bounced between all the people in the dark parking lot. Clearly she was putting things together that she shouldn’t be.

 

“Not now, you have to leave—please” Eren was almost begging at this point, desperate for them to get out of Oluo’s way. His skin crawled knowing there was a gun pointed at his back as he tried to push Mikasa and Armin out of the situation. 

 

“I’m not leaving” Mikasa lowered her eyelids with the intensity of her words, starting to step past Eren, staring Oluo down. 

 

Oluo attempted to match her ferocity, but nothing could compare to her loyalty to family. Oluo kept his gun aimed up.

 

“No, now” Eren moved back in front of her, holding her shoulders in his hands. 

 

“N—“ She tried to protest.

 

“Go!” Eren was more forceful this time, they were in danger. 

 

It wasn’t safe with Oluo threatening to shoot them and a dangerous head of a criminal organization feet away from them. It terrified him knowing Reiner knew what they looked like, who knows what that could result in. 

Eren hoped he could have keep the two lives separate, but he should have known better. It took up too much of him to be able to hide it. He had become the survey corps physically and mentally for months. The last thing he wanted was for the two most important people in his life to be in danger.

He also knew what happened when someone stumbled too far into the survey corps’ dealings, they were sent away or silenced somehow. And now that was going to happen to them and they didn’t even know it. They didn’t mean to, but now their lives were about to get a whole lot more complicated. Even if they were just silenced, they would never be able to escape it; agents would check up on them constantly, they might have to move, it was possible he could never speak to them again, they’d be living with this huge secret… 

 

“God damn it, put your gun down, Oluo!” Levi had made it over to them and shoved Oluo’s arm out of the way, forcing him to lower his gun. He took his place directly in front of his team member to keep him from doing anything else.

 

Eren looked over his shoulder at Levi, the desperation clear on his face from a runaway mind, before turning to stand beside his sister. 

 

“Mikasa, Armin, wait for me and Eren upstairs” Levi said in his most authoritative tone. Eren stared at his boss in awe, thanking him mentally. 

 

“Y-Yes” Armin answered with a curt nod before grabbing Mikasa’s free arm and tugging at her to come along. 

Eren was incredibly grateful for levelheaded Armin in that moment. He knew when to make his move even if he was quieter than his two best friends.

Mikasa didn’t let her eyes leave Eren until the last second before she was dragged by Armin around the side of the building. With one last glance over her shoulder she finally began walking of her own accord unwillingly. 

 

“I’ll deal with you later” Levi spat his dark threat at Oluo before heading back to the center. 

His hand touched Eren’s upper arm as he turned away. The relief that came over him at the small, securing gesture was almost too much to handle. It was meant to say ‘everything is going to be okay’. 

 

Eren took a deep breath and focused, pulling his determination back from every corner of his body. Levi approached Eld and Gunther holding the criminal. 

 

“You’re questioning my integrity and yet you can’t complete your goody-goody mission without endangering people” Reiner’s face curved with his evil grin, “A shame, Levi, to see you become this mediocre version of yourself” 

 

Levi looked at Reiner, the most uninterested expression on his face. It was as if he was just looking straight through Reiner and at the buildings behind him. Reiner shifted in his captor’s holds and scowled again at him. In a swift movement, unable to be predicted, Levi sent a kick to Reiner’s ribs causing him to curl over and drop to his knees. Levi sank down to his level with the same unamused look on his face the entire time, 

“I have no orders to bring you back unharmed” 

 

“Fuck you” Reiner snarled, “Fuck you all” 

 

“I take that as a surrender” Once Gunther said that, Reiner dropped his head down.

 

Levi pulled out his cellphone and must have called Erwin. Eren couldn’t really tell from his distance, still standing where Mikasa and Armin had just been. He assumed that was what happened next. It hadn’t yet hit him that it was over, that the mission had finished, and Levi got Reiner to surrender because though his eyes watched Levi holding the phone to his ear and Gunther and Eld handcuffing Reiner, his mind was on Armin and Mikasa upstairs. 

 

What was he going to tell them? Was there some way he could brush this aside and not have to tell them what it really was? As long as they didn’t think it was some sort of drug deal or that he was in the CIA it might work… But he was sure they expected him to be in some sort of gang. Eren pushed both of his hands into his hair, pulling the locks tight away from his face. He watched, distantly, his mind elsewhere, as Levi closed the phone and turned to walk towards him.

 

Eren jumped slightly feeling a hand grab his. He looked to his side to see Levi and couldn’t help but let a soft smile lift onto his face. The first moment he finally felt a little bit of the tightness in his muscles relax all day.

 

“Mission success” Levi said. 

 

“Yeah, mission success… What happens now?” Eren asked, being rather vague.

 

“Erwin sends police to come get him. Eld and Gunther will stay with him until that happens.”

 

“What about Mikasa and Armin?” He was almost hesitant to ask. If only they hadn’t gotten involved… But he was foolish to think he could hide them from it forever.

 

“I’m sending Petra to get them and take them to headquarters”

 

Eren’s heart sank. He couldn’t believe it had to happen right now. 

 

“It’s protocol to go back and fill out paperwork, but we’ll deal with Mikasa and Armin first”

 

Eren nodded slowly, trying to process it without overthinking, but dread sat heavy in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t even be happy that the mission was a success.

 

“Let’s go” Levi took a long look at him to assess his feelings, but said nothing as he put a hand to Eren’s lower back, guiding him forward as they walked to Levi’s car past Reiner, Eld, and Gunther still waiting for Erwin’s crew. Levi’s hand dropped from Eren a second too late and Reiner caught it.

 

A loud scoff of a laugh erupted from him, “Levi, you into boys now?” Reiner taunted from his knees, picking at straws to get the last word, to leave with a lasting impression.

 

“You are too, Braun” Levi’s response shut him up quick.

 

His face was almost devoid of emotion except for the smallest bit of embarrassment and anger. At his lack of a comment, Eren deduced it was true and he had to clench his jaw to avoid letting it drop open or ask questions. Better to just leave it be.

 

Being away from the scene helped ease Eren’s mind ever so slightly. He stared out of the car window at the passing world, the two hadn’t said much since they left. Normally, silences between the two felt comfortable and easy. This felt different. Neither party knew what to say, until Levi spoke up,

 

“You know I won’t let anything bad happen to them” Levi broke the silence, “they have to come back to headquarters since they were witnesses. We aren’t sure what is going to happen yet, but they’re going to be fine”

 

Eren mulled over his words for a moment. Only a small portion of him was calmed, the other part going mad with guilt and disappointment. 

 

“I just wish I could have kept them away from this” Eren confessed, “Now they’ll worry and it’s… it’s just going to be a big change. I don’t really like change” 

He’d never been good with change despite the amount he’s been put through in his life. Each time he hates it more and more. This time it is happening to the two most constant things in his life.

 

“It probably will be a change” Levi admitted, there really was no sugarcoating it, “But we’ll figure something out”

Somehow, Levi’s reassurance wasn’t reaching him like it normally would.

 

An exhaled “yeah” was all Eren could muster.

 

Pulling into headquarters had a different feeling this time. Eren scanned around for any sign of Armin or Mikasa and noticed Petra’s car was already here. They were inside. This hidden dangerous world of his was now opening up to them.

 

“They’re in my office, follow me” Levi instructed with no further detail. 

 

Eren wanted to run past him and ask what they were thinking… because at this point it could be anything. They probably think he’s doing something illegal... That made his skin crawl. He wanted to set the record straight to make the uncomfortable feeling go away. Eren followed impatiently behind Levi who wasn’t going fast enough for his taste. Even though fast enough to him was sprinting. 

 

When Levi threw open his office door, the blond and brunette were sat in chairs in front of his desk. As soon as the door opened, their heads snapped around and a simultaneous “Eren!” sounded from both of them. Eren’s heart lifted slightly at their excited and relieved tone. At least they didn’t hate him—or worse, were scared of him. 

 

He couldn’t help but smile and lean over to wrap an arm around each of them in a tight hug. Tonight was enough to make anyone stressed. 

 

“Hi guys” He couldn’t muster anything less lame than that. Levi hadn’t told him what he could or couldn’t say yet. 

 

“Let’s get right to it, shall we?” Levi started, walking over to lean his back against the front of his desk, not wanting a barrier between him and the other three. 

 

“I’m sure it looked like something illegal was going on, but I promise it’s just the opposite” He started and Eren moved to stand beside Levi, sharing in the support of the desk so that they could see him. 

 

“So it wasn’t a drug deal?” Armin asked in a hopeful voice.

 

“No!” Eren shook his head vehemently. At least they got that out of the way. Armin nodded contently, settled by his response. 

 

Levi nodded once, “No” He affirmed, “We work for the government in a specialized group called the Survey Corps. Our job is to get and arrest criminals that fly just under the radar of the law, making it difficult for regular cops to arrest them” Eren couldn’t believe his ears, Levi just casually explaining their work to the people he’d wanted to tell the whole time. 

The rookie didn’t hold back his jaw dropping slightly, eyes shifting to his boss in shock. He didn’t expect him to expose their whole inner workings, but he guessed it was pointless to try and cover it now. That would only lead to more questions, snooping, and also problems for Eren. If Levi just opened up about it, they’d probably be less likely to tell knowing how serious it is.

 

“You’re like police officers?” Mikasa asked towards Levi.

 

“Similar, but with less restrictions. We can do what we see fit to get dangerous people in jail where they belong” 

 

“What does that mean, exactly?” Mikasa narrowed her eyes at his vague description.

 

“What you saw back there, in the parking lot, was that in action. I was able to gather some dirt on him and we gave him an ultimatum; either we show his comrades the information he was hiding or he turn himself in. He chose wisely.” 

 

“Okay… So why did Eren have to hide this? Why can’t he tell anyone?” She asked next. They probably had come up with plenty of questions since Eren had seen them.

 

“What we do to capture these criminals doesn’t always strictly follow the law and that won’t sit well with some people. So to keep up our work, which has been working well, it’s necessary to keep it on the down low.”

 

“Right…You’re sure you work for the government? I’ve never heard of anything like this before” 

 

Levi produced his badge and she looked it over, chewing on her inner lip in thought. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking at the moment and it made Eren nervous.

 

“That’s kind of the whole point that no one knows besides the ones involved.” 

There was a long pause as the two seated before them mulled over the new information. Eren watched them silently, knowing he didn’t have much else to add. Levi had said everything pretty much. It was all out in front of them now, just like that. 

Armin lifted his head up slightly, pulling his hand from his chin,

“That is… Actually genius” Armin’s comment startled his two companions, Levi raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Armin! This is dangerous” Mikasa swatted him on the arm.

 

“Yes, but this organization… It’s exactly what is needed to get the smarter, less obvious criminals. A secret, exceptional police force that uses the criminals’ weaknesses against them. Or, better yet, their exact tactics against them” Armin was thoroughly impressed, Eren was thoroughly taken aback.

 

“But that means Eren’s around those very criminals” Mikasa said.

 

“But this is what Eren’s always wanted to do, you know that. He’s been a walking police force since we were kids. He told on Jean when he tried to steal a crayon in elementary school. Not to mention he’s pretty impulsive and passionate for a regular police squad. This fits him like a glove, it seems.”

 

Eren was nearly idiotic enough to protest the end part, but stopped himself considering Armin just gave him some positive feedback. He stared wide eyed at his friend the entire time he spoke. 

 

Mikasa took a thoughtful breath, “I know. I just hate thinking about never knowing what’s going on and that something really awful could happen to him, but neither of us can be there to help like always.”

 

“I can handle myself, I’ve been training” Eren piped up.

 

“That doesn’t stop your older sister from worrying about you” She stated. 

 

“Yeah, but I always managed even when we were younger! I’m still here, aren’t I?” Eren gestured towards himself with his hands. 

 

“That’s only because Mikasa was there most of the time to have your back…” Armin chuckled lightly, Mikasa joining in. Eren rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

 

“Yeah, yeah…” 

 

“You two have always made a pretty good team” Armin smiled, thinking fondly of the memories.

 

“We” Mikasa corrected, “Thankfully you were there, Armin, because you stopped him from doing even more stupid things” Mikasa tried to stifle the smile on her face, knowing Eren would be annoyed, “Or gave us a better plan” She added.

 

“Hey! …Okay that part is true…” Eren’s defensiveness broke and his mouth curved upwards at their conversation, “I’m glad I’ve had both of you to help me out over the years, but I can do this. And I want to do this” His sincerity was overflowing. 

 

Armin and Mikasa took a long, knowing, look at each other then turned back to Eren and Levi.

 

“We know. Whenever you are dedicated to something you throw yourself into it full force and we have hardly seen you since this has begun. It’s obvious this is where you were meant to be” Armin gave a small smile.

 

“I guess we’ll just have to get over the fact that we can’t be there to have your back all the time anymore” Mikasa said, sadly but proudly. 

 

Levi observed the three’s interactions carefully, not speaking and letting them work things out. He liked knowing things about all of his comrades, but he was intrigued by Eren’s trio’s dynamics almost as much as Eren himself. An idea had been brewing in his head for a while, but watching them now just solidified what he thought. These three were inseparable. They’d been looking out for each other since they were kids. It was as if they’d become the perfect team, with every element covered. The brains, the strong defensive one, and the fearless offensive member. 

 

He’d made his mind up,

 

“Mikasa, Armin, would you like to join the survey corps?”


	14. without telling you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes together, Mikasa and Amin give their answers, and Levi has a problem with Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW It's been so long since i have been able to come back to this story.. I feel so bad about that and I've missed Eren and Levi and the gang! College has consumed me, so thank you for being patient I know you guys understand the struggle.  
> Thanks for coming on this journey with me, I don't want to get too sappy but these boys mean a lot to me and so does this story, the first complete thought I've ever had in my life, lol. It's not the best, but it has been so much fun  
> So thank you again to anyone reading, commenting, and giving me kudos I appreciate it more than you know!  
> This is probably the conclusion to this story! I might add an epilogue if you'd want? But I like where this wraps up for now!  
> <3 have a good read and I hope this gives you chills like it did for me!

Chapter 14:

“Mikasa, Armin, would you like to join the survey corps?” 

 

“What?!” The three shouted in unison at the interruption from the usually level-headed boss. 

 

Eren thought his jaw would never be able to shut again after it dropped so rapidly in shock. He just stared, gaping at Levi. That came from left field. Levi was still as calm and collected as ever, as if he’d never said anything.

 

“What?” Eren repeated, not sure what emotions Armin and Mikasa were expressing because his eyes were glued to the dark haired man.

 

“You heard me. You don’t have to answer just yet, but I’m offering you both a position in the survey corps.” 

 

After the confirmation, Eren’s head snapped back to his companions who sat looking just as astonished as he did. But, barely a passing beat, Mikasa answered with a simple “Yes”. 

 

“Mikasa” her brother urged, “think about this, it’s a dangerous job, are you sure you want to do this?” They’d only just heard the run-down of what they did, not to mention they experienced the danger first-hand. How could they know what they were really getting into? 

It dawned on him that that was exactly how he’d joined as well. But, in his case he might have been swayed by an attractive boss and fear.

 

“I agree, we’ll join” Armin nodded, ignoring the brunette. 

 

“Are you guys sure about this?” Eren asked, worried they wouldn’t grasp the entirety of the job. He didn’t want to deter them, it would be great to have them join the squad, but he felt it was his obligation to double check what they were feeling. Eren was also in a whirlwind of thoughts.

 

“Of course we’re sure, Eren, it’s not like we haven’t been doing this, dealing with bad guys, since we were kids on a smaller scale just the three of us. It’s a great idea, that way we can look out for each other.” A soft smile settled on Armin’s face. 

 

“The training isn’t easy” Eren threw out, with a side glance at his boss.

 

“We don’t expect it to be, we remember you coming home trying to hide how much pain you were in” Eren rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at Mikasa’s comment. Apparently his secret-keeping skills were not as honed as he thought they were.

 

He looked at Levi with a ‘sorry I couldn’t seem to keep anything secret’ look and his boss returned it with a raise of his eyebrows that basically said, “I’m not surprised, but nice one” 

 

“I just don’t want anything bad to happen” Eren admitted.

 

“Neither do we, Eren. That’s why we have to join and keep an eye on you” Mikasa pointed at her younger brother. 

 

“Alright, alright, I get it. You’re not changing your minds” There was no talking Mikasa out of anything once her mind was made up, only Armin could do that and he was on board with the idea. 

It would be simultaneously the best and worst thing to have them involved, and the latter he didn’t anticipate thinking. It was just after today’s events that he started thinking more about the dangers of just him being involved could cause them, let alone his friend and family actually joining. He swallowed that thought back to be happy for them right now, they wanted to join and it wasn’t fair for Eren to put himself in harm’s way and expect them to just sit back. They aren’t the ‘sit back and watch’ kind of people.

Eren just flashed an encouraging smile their way.

 

“So, when do we start?” Armin asked, taking the fact that Eren was done protesting and running with it before he changed his mind.

 

“Tomorrow. Fortunately for you two, you don’t have to participate in filling out paperwork, but Eren does” Levi side-eyed Eren who pouted slightly at the mention of paperwork. “Petra will be taking you home, I will contact you to let you know when training begins” 

 

The two newly recruited members nodded, grinning, 

 

“Do you need our numbers?” Armin asked, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

 

“Already have them”

 

“You… already have them?” Armin asked, puzzled, looking confused towards Mikasa in hopes she’d share his confusion. 

 

“He does that a lot” Eren stated, “already has information you think you should be giving him. They know just about everything” He shrugged, “It’s part of their work, they have to know every detail about a person before working with them or going after them, including family members and friends”

 

“Right…” Armin slowly placed his phone back, looking a little unnerved. 

 

“Eren’s right, it’s my job” Levi answered supplementing Eren’s brief description, “I have to be aware of everyone’s closest friends and family, if I hadn’t known who you were earlier, we would have had a much bigger problem on our hands”

 

The room fell silent for a moment after Levi’s not-so-carefully-said statement that basically meant they would have either been shot or arrested last night. 

The office door swinging open was a welcome relief.

 

“Alright, newbies, ready to go?” Petra stood smiling in the door frame. Armin and Mikasa stood up and headed to the door with Eren moving in to follow behind them. He almost cleared the door when a hand grabbed the back of his collar, eliciting a ‘GAK’ sound as he was yanked backwards.

 

“Nice try, brat. You have to stay and work” Levi let go of the younger man’s collar once Eren was beside him. 

 

“Yeah, almost forgot” He said sarcastically, “I’ll see you guys later” He waved to Mikasa and Armin as they left with Petra. He half wished he could go home and talk to them about this, about everything, but he was more than happy to stay with Levi longer. Even if that meant some work to do.

 

Except it wasn’t just some work. It was mountains of it. Levi and Hanji had the most work on their hands, a stack of papers in front of them and phone calls left and right. Eren was often passed things that could be done by anyone, and no one wanted to do, so he’d sigh, complete it, and wait for the next one to come along. There were a lot of legal papers to work through to make sure no one got in trouble for what went down and so the government could review it. That was one major condition to have this squad. 

Levi had to do a full step by step write up of what occurred from the start of the mission onward, all the way up to when they made it back to headquarters. Eren definitely wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. There were also forms for what cars were involved, what weapons (if any), a dissection of Reiner’s crimes, and more. Eld was running all over to everyone to get information until finally Erwin came in to get a briefing of how the mission went. 

Eren finally got to hear what happened at the beginning when Levi was alone. He knew they set up a plan to meet weeks ago, but apparently Levi picked Reiner up from a convenience store nearby Reiner’s hideout and told him they were going to a place on the other side of town to keep it equal territory. Little did Reiner know, it was a setup.

Again, Eren was passed a sheet of paper asking his specific involvement and what happened from his perspective. Reluctantly, he picked up his pen in his cramping right hand and filled it out. 

Another hour went by. It was now 11:00pm and Eren’s eyes were drying out from staring at the small writing page after page. Letters didn’t look right, the word ‘legal’ didn’t even sound like a word anymore after hearing and reading it over and over again, and Eren didn’t think he’d written this much since they still could write papers by hand in middle school. 

 

“No one mentioned this part…” He grumbled under his breath, passing another paper along to Hanji to review before putting it in the done pile.

 

“No one would have joined if we were told at the beginning” Gunther joked beside him, letting out a chuckle. 

 

“I guess that’s true” Eren snorted back, surprised but happy Gunther heard his comment.

 

By the time they finished, it was nearly midnight and Eren hardly got a chance to think about what was going to follow this. The stack of papers was finally gone and everyone looked disheveled. This was apparently the downside to working ‘away from the law’. Eren had his face in his hand, cheek smooshed from his palm as he stared at the dark wood table.

 

Levi stood abruptly then, “Let’s go, Eren” he instructed and pushed his chair in, heading for the door. Eren hastily did the same, more than happy to be leaving that room. 

His mind was fuzzy from sitting in the same spot in the same room doing the same thing for so long. He gave a quick wave to those left in the room before slipping around the corner to follow Levi.

 

The two jumped into Levi’s corvette to head back to Eren’s. His mind, as soon as he was left alone with his boss, went straight to wondering what would happen now. Was his boss going to tell him what he said he would after the mission? Would he resume training tomorrow right away? Would they even be back to working soon? His face must have given it away, because Levi spoke up,

 

“So, how was it?” He asked, wanting to hear Eren’s true thoughts.

 

“The mission or the paperwork?” Eren scoffed mentioning the work.

 

“Why not both” 

 

“Then the paperwork sucked and the mission, excluding the surprises, felt like… like it was what I was meant to be doing” Eren said passionately. He was already addicted to the adrenaline, to helping the community stay safe, and to kicking criminal ass—even if he wasn’t the one kicking ass (yet). 

 

“Good, that’s what I’d hoped” His expression wasn’t unreadable, as emotionless as it was. There was more behind it. 

 

Thinking about the ‘surprises’ just sparked the frustration he felt that Levi never consulted him about inviting his sister and friend. It just made him think of how putting them in danger killed him inside, and now he’d have to live with it every mission. Eren had to say something.

 

“But… How could you ask Mikasa and Armin to join without asking me? It’s dangerous” Eren blurted out, still in disbelief. 

 

“That’s the reason” Levi deadpanned.

 

“What is?” Eren snapped back.

 

“It’s dangerous, they can help me protect you so that what happened today won’t happen again. I need them to look out for you, too, because I can’t always be there” Eren could feel all of what was behind his statements. There was more.

Eren couldn’t help but lean forward ever so slightly in his seat to see if he could get a glimpse around Levi’s hair. It was clear there was more Levi wasn’t telling him. His eyes were glued to the road ahead, never leaving even at red lights like he normally would to look at his passenger. The look on his face was subtle, but Eren caught the slightly tenser frown and cloud of emotion in his eyes. 

He wasn’t sure if he should say something or not, this type of thing didn’t happen often. Usually it was Levi that questioned a look on Eren’s face. So he ended up turning back to stare out of his window into the dark. His eyes tracked the buildings as they flew past. Eren guessed by now the pizza shop on the corner would be coming up, but when it didn’t, his focus heightened. He leaned closer to the window, eyes darting around to each building, trying to recognize them. Nothing looked familiar.

That’s when he realized they weren’t going the usual way back to his apartment. Eren’s eyebrows pulled together, trying to decipher if it was just a new way. Levi used to drive different routes regularly before Eren joined the Survey Corps to keep him from knowing the location of headquarters, but he’d stopped since then and took the most practical route. The way they were going now didn’t look like any of them, nor did they even look like they were near his side of town. 

It was then he decided he should ask how Levi was doing.

 

“What about you?” Eren tested the waters.

 

“What about me?” Levi’s voice was steady as ever.

 

“How did the mission and paperwork go for you?” 

 

“Fine” Levi’s short answer frustrated Eren. He frowned followed by a sigh.

 

“Alright, then where the hell are we going?” Eren gave him an inquisitive look, raising an eyebrow.

If everything was fine then why were they going off somewhere random in the middle of the night? The last time that happened, Levi kept driving around the block until Eren invited him in. That was probably the case again so Levi could talk about what was on his mind.

 

“My place” Levi’s second short answer of the night made all of Eren’s muscles tense and a tremor shot down to his stomach. He swallowed dryly and cleared his throat.

 

“Your place?” He couldn’t stop his echo from slipping out. He kept his body straight up and down, just turning his head enough to see his boss from the corner of his eye. Levi finally looked over at him. His eyes had changed, they were softer now as they saw Eren’s rigid posture. 

 

“That’s what I said”

 

“Uh huh” He said slowly. Eren could hardly reply, his mind was moving a mile a minute. But what Eren had said seemed to have cracked the code, Levi began talking to him again.

 

“I’m glad you think this job is well-suited to you” He commented, replying further to their original conversation when they got to a red light. He turned to Eren and smiled, taking an extra-long look this time, making Eren’s stomach flip while returning the expression, “I agree”

 

“I mean, Armin said it all, it’s what we’ve been doing since we were kids just on a larger scale. I didn’t get to do too much this time, but I still enjoyed being a part of it” Eren was proud to be in the Survey Corps. It was the best thing he’d done in his life so far.

 

“Yeah, I tried to keep you out of the line of fire tonight for your first mission, but unfortunately you ended up on the wrong side of a gun anyway” As Levi spoke, his hands tightened around the steering wheel. Eren’s gaze snapped to them briefly before returning to Levi’s face. “Sorry about Oluo, he’s too quick to assume he should shoot someone” Levi shook his head at the memory. 

 

“Thanks for stopping him” Eren wanted to turn it around, “He was just doing his job. Mikasa and Armin were strangers to him, they could have had relations with Reiner for all he knew.” 

 

“He should have taken more care to see what they looked like in case they were to show up like they did” Levi frowned, “careless” he spat.

 

“Everyone’s fine” Eren leaned more towards Levi, “Nothing bad happened and the mission was successful so there’s nothing to worry about” He smiled softly, staring at the pale face he admired so often.

 

“This time” His voice was lower, “But that small mishap could have created more problems. He could have accidentally shot you, Reiner could have turned around and hurt someone…” the last part trailed off, “there are an infinite amount of bad outcomes, Eren”. 

 

“But none of that happened” Eren insisted, seeing the dark cloud moving in over his boss. It was clear now what had been bothering Levi since they got into the car.

 

“You didn’t get hurt this time, and I’m thankful for that, but I don’t know if I can handle it again” Levi gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles white. Eren hadn’t even noticed the car stopping until this pause in conversation. They had arrived at a small apartment complex. Before Eren could reply, Levi got out of the car, “come with me”. 

 

“Levi” his name rolled off Eren’s tongue, his favorite word, protesting his attempt to avoid the conversation. 

Eren moved quick, jumping out of the car and shutting the door a little too harshly. Levi was hard to keep up with even with their height difference. Eren diligently kept up behind his boss as they went in the front doors to the building into a nice lobby. 

 

“Levi” Eren repeated more urgently once they stepped into the elevator opposite the doors. Eren continued as soon as it started moving, “I don’t want you to have to worry about me getting hurt all the time. I want this job. I want to work beside you, not be a liability” He confessed. Levi leaned against the back of the elevator, elbows resting on the railing. 

 

“That’s not the problem” He answered. Eren didn’t understand, confusion written on his face. 

 

“What do you mean? How is that not the problem?” They got off on the sixth floor, the top, and walked briskly down the hall as he asked the question, “That’s what you said, ‘I don’t know if I can handle it again’, I don’t want to stop working for you” He fought with shaking in his voice. The last thing he wanted was to not be able to come back. Eren felt anxiety creeping into his brain. Just the thought terrified him. Going back to his normal life after all of this was not possible. 

Levi didn’t answer as he got his key out and unlocked what must have been his apartment door. 

 

“Levi?” Eren prompted again in earnest as Levi shoved the door open.

 

His boss turned quickly, pulling Eren by the sleeve into his apartment with a startled yelp. The other hand grabbed the doorknob and slammed it behind them. In one swift motion, Levi pushed Eren up against the door, lips on his before Eren could register anything happening. Levi kissed him like he’d never get to kiss him again, like he hadn’t in years, and like it was their first all at once. As soon as Eren melted into his lips, Levi pulled back, hands gripping the front of Eren’s black shirt tightly as if to keep him from leaving that very spot. But Eren didn’t plan on it, placing a hand on the back of Levi’s head, fingers brushing under his longer hair.

 

“I’m not firing you, Eren, you coming on missions is not what I can’t handle” Levi didn’t look at him, keeping his eyes on his hands locked on Eren’s top. 

 

“Then what is it?” Eren stared wide eyed at him. “You said you can’t handle—“ Levi cut him off.

 

“I can’t handle going through another mission not knowing if you’ll get hurt without… without telling you” It was almost quiet enough to be a whisper,

 

“Without telling you that I love you”

 

Eren stared at the man holding onto him and felt his world light up. His worry-creased forehead lifted, softening, mouth parting slightly. Eren’s arms reached around Levi’s neck and tugged him in for a hug, feeling arms loop around his waist. These touches were different than all the others. There was so much depth to them, Eren could hardly comprehend it. Everywhere Levi touched him felt familiar and yet so intense. 

 

“Levi” Eren said softly to make Levi look up at him. He couldn’t stop the grin plastered onto his face, the most genuine smile he’d ever given. The kind that you couldn’t stop even if you wanted to, his cheeks wouldn’t let up. His lips tingled as he spoke the words he had been sure of for a while now, “I love you too” His heart hammered after the phrase left his mouth.

It was not a second later Levi began kissing him. And kept kissing him. And kissing him, and kissing him, and kissing him. Eren’s senses were filled with Levi: touch, taste, smell. Levi spun them around and they made a few clumsy steps together toward the center of the room. His boss only broke the kiss to maneuver them around furniture, a sleek, grey, couch—the only thing Eren was able to catch sight of. Not that he cared in this particular moment. All he could think of was Levi. There wasn’t anything holding them back now with the mission over and Eren’s heartbeat skipped at the thought, his stomach clenching. 

Levi was everything he wanted and now Levi’s hands were fisted in Eren’s hair. His boss kept leading them across the room as fast but as carefully as possible, pausing when they started to stumble over one another too much and taking the time to just enjoy the kisses. 

But, fed up with the constant bumbling, Levi broke apart and moved past Eren, grabbing the front of his shirt and towing him along crossing the rest of the space. He threw Eren into a room, Levi’s room, and Eren watched carefully as Levi shut the door, his boss’ eyes on him the entire time. What little light filtered in from the living room was shut out. He took this moment to look at Levi, his cheeks flushed beautifully pink with eyelids low as he looked up at Eren. Eren didn’t even try to stop the smile forming on his mouth, but Levi smothered it in a kiss seconds later, continuing to push him backwards until his legs hit the back of the bed. His heart jolted at the contact. 

Finally, Levi wasn’t going to cut him off. He wasn’t going to push him away or hide his true feelings. Eren got all of Levi tonight. His heart pounded under his ribcage, but he trusted Levi with everything.

Eren knew this started something neither of them were prepared to stop.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short aftermath a few months later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 thanks for being on this journey with me I wanted to include a tiny snapshot into the future before I finished with this one (:

It had been several months since the first mission occurred and when Armin and Mikasa started their training alongside Eren. Of course, Levi made him do all the training with them. He was grateful for the extra practice, but originally hoped that he would get off easy with the focus on the newer newbies. That didn’t happen. He didn’t know why he even thought it was a possibility, considering his boss.

Eren kept his job at Bodt’s Books for the rare off days and to keep pestering Jean. But, as it turned out, even though Jean was stunned at Eren being gay, and regularly commented (made fun of him) on his lack of girlfriends, he and Marco were now a thing. Eren never saw it coming. He walked in one day and accidentally saw a kiss he knew he was supposed to see, but he absolutely made a big deal about it. It went something like this,

 

*

Jean walked in early as usual and saw Marco already counting the cash in the register to make sure there was enough for the day. A sneaky smile spread across his face, assuming no one else was in the store that early (unaware that Marco asked Eren to come in early as well to help take stock). He waltzed up to his now boyfriend and hugged him around the waist, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Jean!” Marco yelled, surprised.

 

“Good morning” Jean replied smoothly into Marco’s ear.

 

“Hey, Jean uh—“ Marco tried but his efforts ended there with a kiss planted on his mouth.

 

“No. Way.” Eren stood in the doorway to the back, dropping a box of napkins to the floor with a loud thud. Jean leaped away from Marco like he got burned. “No-freaking-way!” Eren repeated, louder. His original shock melted into excited mischievousness, “You two are…” He pointed between the two of them, supposing with a raised eyebrow, but there was no denying what he’d seen, “A thing?” 

 

“Uh yeah, Eren, Jean and I are together now” Marco smiled, sort of embarrassed. No use in denying it after that display.

 

“Well I’m happy you two have seen the light, especially you Jean. I can’t believe it.... You’re gay, too. Never thought I’d see the day, but boy is this exciting. I mean, I should have seen it coming with all the antagonizing about girlfriends… Someone was just in the closet” He raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Marco and Jean…” He mused “I mean, how can you put up with the guy, Marco?” Eren exclaimed.

 

“I’m only a dick to you, Jaeger”

 

“Glad to know I’m special”

 

“Anyway” Marco interjected, “We are kind of keeping it on the down-low…” Marco ran a hand through his hair and shrugged.

 

“I get it, I get it. I won’t say a word” Eren made the motion of zipping his lips shut.

 

“Thanks, Eren” Marco smiled.

 

“I didn’t say it wouldn’t come at a price” 

 

“Shut up” Jean threw at him.

 

“All I’m asking is for a longer break… sheesh…” Eren held his hands up in defeat.

 

Well now Eren knew why Jean was never fired…

*

 

They were finally moving in on their next mission tonight, Armin and Mikasa’s first. Tonight, they were after a business that was just a front for a drug dealer. The team had been planning this excursion since the month after the last mission.

He couldn’t say he wasn’t worried for his sister and best friend, because that was the farthest from the truth, but he was proud and excited to have them by his side. They seemed ready as well, not batting an eye at any of it. They were steady and calm, exactly what he needed, admittedly. Even Levi had commented on how they all complimented each other very well. Actually, his exact words were, “It’s a good thing they keep your hotheaded ass out of trouble, Eren” But, same thing. 

 

Eren sat on his bed and pulled on his shoes when he heard a bang on the door, “Eren, come on! Levi’s outside” Mikasa called from outside the room. He grinned despite her impatient attitude, she was right and she was ready. Everything he could have hoped for.

 

“I’ll be right out! Jeez you’re on the squad a couple months and now—“

 

“I can still hear you” Mikasa deadpanned from outside his door.

 

“That was the point! I’ve been in the Survey Corps longer than you, you know” He rolled his eyes slightly at that, but was only joking.

 

“And yet you still can’t be on time, come on” That was the last thing she hollered through the door. Eren shook his head—she had a point.

 

Eren meandered out of the room a moment later to the sight of his companions dressed all in black, with guns at their hips. It was quite a sight. 

Although Armin would be there, he was becoming more of the brains behind the operations. He’s had meetings now with just Levi and Hanji, even discussing things with Erwin. Mikasa has been going in for special combat training, as well. So it was safe to say the two were great additions to the team.

 

“Let’s go, we’re keeping him waiting” Armin urged, still a little intimidated by the man.

 

“It’s alright, Armin, it’s not like I’m afraid of my own boyfriend” Eren shot him a look and folded his arms across his chest, only to jump at the sound of a fourth, and deeper, voice.

 

“I’m still your boss, Jaeger” Levi was stood in the doorway. Eren rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and shrugged, “Now let’s go you three” He allowed Mikasa and Armin to walk ahead.

 

Once the two were out the door, Levi’s face softened and he pulled Eren to him with an arm around his waist. Levi leaned up and kissed Eren’s lips before speaking,

 

“You be careful out there. Look out for each other, it’s what you’re good at” His boss reminded him “Now, are you free tonight?” He raised an eyebrow and Eren grinned.

 

“So free, like really free”

 

“Want to go to dinner?” Levi had never been so comfortable around a person before. Eren wormed his way in somehow. Those beautiful green eyes shone down at him after his offer.

 

“I’d love to”

Eren couldn't stop beaming, his cheeks refusing to let up his smile. Here he was, with his dream person who loved him back.

 

“Great, now get your ass moving” He grabbed Eren’s hand to tug him out of the apartment.

Who would have thought the attractive man that threatened him so long ago would turn out to be his boyfriend.


End file.
